english-May-15-2022.pdf - Herald Malaysia

VATICAN: Pope Francis said that the lit-urgy should not be “a battleground” for “outdated issues.”

“I emphasise again that the liturgical life, and the study of it, should lead to greater Church unity, not division. When the liturgical life is a bit like a banner of division, there is the stench of the devil in there, the deceiver,” said the Pope.

“It’s not possible to worship God while making the liturgy a battleground for issues that are not essential, indeed, out-dated issues, and to take sides starting with the liturgy, with ideologies that divide the Church.”

Speaking at an audience with the Pontifical Liturgical In-stitute in the apostolic palace recently, the Pope said that he believes that “every reform creates resistance.”

Pope Francis recalled reforms made when he was a child

by Pope Pius XII, particularly when Pius XII reduced the fasting requirement before receiving Holy Communion and reintroduced the Easter Vigil.

“All of these things scandalised closed-minded people. It happens also today,” he said.

“Indeed, such closed-minded people use liturgical frame-work to defend their views. Using the liturgy: this is the drama we are experiencing in ecclesial groups that are distancing themselves from the Church, questioning the Council, the authority of the bishops ... in order to preserve tradition. And the liturgy is used for that.”

The Pontifical Liturgical Institute’s school of liturgy has had increasing influence in liturgical norms coming from the Vatican.

The secretary and undersecretary of the Vatican’s Congre-gation for Divine Worship were both formed by the institute,

which was established in 1961 by Pope John XXIII as part of the Pontificio Ateneo Sant’Anselmo.

Andrea Grillo, one of the most prominent theology pro-fessors at the Sant’Anselmo, has been a vigorous defender of Traditionis custodes, the motu proprio issued by Pope Francis in 2021 which restricted Masses celebrated in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.

Pope Francis further warned of “the temptation of liturgi-cal formalism,” which he said can be seen today “in those movements that try to go back a little and deny the Second Vatican Council itself.”

Pope Francis delivered his speech from a wheelchair. The 85-year-old Pope has been making his public appearances in a wheelchair since May 5 due to a torn ligament in his right knee. — By Courtney Mares, CNA

l See Page 9 for more

Liturgy should lead to unity, not division!

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Synod assembly in MJD

Time to return for Mass

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Child protection in the Church

Mission StatementThe HERALD is a Catholic Weekly of the Malaysian Church. It endeavours to communicate up-to-date news and Christian values and strives to dialogue with all sectors of society in order to build a harmonious community of believers in God. We support the formation of a participatory Church and encourage the laity and religious to make moral decisions in the marketplace.

TERHAD PP 8460/11/2012 (030939) ISSN: 1394-3294 | Vol: 29 No. 18 | MAY 15, 2022 www.heraldmalaysia.com

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev 21:1-2

Dear Buddhist Friends,

1. On the occasion of the festival of Wesak, the commemo-ration of the birth, death and enlightenment of the Buddha, we are writing to your communities worldwide to convey the warm greetings of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

2. We write at a time when humanity faces manifold crises. For a third consecutive year, people around the world are held hostage by the lingering health crisis brought on by COVID-19. Frequent natural disasters related to the ecological crisis have exposed our fragility as citizens of a shared Earth. Conflicts continue to shed innocent blood and to provoke widespread suffering. Sadly, there are still those who use religion to justify violence. As Pope Francis observed with sorrow, “Humanity is proud of its advancement in science and thought, in many beautiful things, but it is going backward in bringing about peace. … This should make us all feel ashamed” (Address to the Participants in the Plenary Meeting of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, February 18, 2022).

3. Even though we see signs of solidarity emerging in re-sponse to the tragedies brought about by these crises, the search for lasting solutions remains arduous. The pursuit of material wealth and the abandonment of spiritual values has led to a generalised moral decline in society. As Buddhists and Christians, our religious and moral sense of responsibil-ity should motivate us to sustain humanity in its quest for reconciliation and resilience. Religious people, sustained by their noble principles, must strive to be lamps of hope that, even though small, still illuminate the path that leads human-ity to triumph over the spiritual emptiness that causes so much

wrong-doing and suffering. 4. The Buddha and Jesus Christ direct their followers to

transcendent values, albeit in different ways. The noble truths of the Buddha explain the origin and causes of suffering and indicate the eightfold path that leads to the cessation of suf-fering. “It is the fading away and cessation of that very same craving, with nothing left over; giving it away, letting it go, releasing it, and not adhering to it” (Dhammacakkappavat-tanasutta, 56.11). If practised, the teaching is a cure to the ceaseless grasping that leads to greed and power-plays. The Gospel never suggests violence as the answer. The Beatitudes proclaimed by Jesus show us how to be resilient by giving pri-ority to spiritual values in the midst of a world running amok. “Blessed are the poor, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the peacemakers” (cf. Matthew 5:1-

12). They are blessed, for in spite of the present difficulties, they rely on God’s promise of happiness and salvation.

5. We can help humanity become resilient by unearthing the hidden treasures within our spiritual traditions. For Buddhists, the Noble Eightfold Path can develop compassion and wis-dom to engage in social concerns. For Christians, hope is one of those treasures. As Pope Francis says,“hope would have us recognise that there is always a way out, that we can always redirect our steps, that we can always do something to solve our problems” (Laudato Si’ 61).

6. We are convinced that hope rescues us from discourage-ment. In this regard, we would like to share the wisdom of the late Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, on the importance of hope: “It can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today” (Peace is Every Step, 1991, 41-42). Let us work to-gether for a better tomorrow!

7. Dear friends, we wish that your celebration of Wesak will keep hope alive and generate actions that welcome and respond to the adversities caused by the present crises.

Miguel Ángel Card. Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ

President

Msgr Kodithuwakku K. Indunil J.Secretary

A monk marks the Buddhist festival of Wesak in Surabaya, Indonesia. (Vatican News photo)

Buddhists and Christians: Standing together in hopeful resilience Message for the Feast of Wesak 2022

HERALD May 15, 2022Editor’s NotE / rEflEctioN2

Reflecting on our Sunday Readingswith Dr Steven Selvaraju

Come back to me with all your heart, don’t let fear keep us apart …. Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new lives …

These lyrics from the hymn ‘Hosea’ aptly describe the call being echoed by the clergy to the faithful as we resume public worship in our churches, minus the limited capacity.

“Come back to church … come and serve in the ministries” are among the appeals being made to the faithful at every weekend Mass and in the parish bulletins. Observations have shown that the congregation have not returned in full force in some parishes.

This is a far cry from the time when the faithful were sending in appeal after appeal to the Arch/bishops to reopen the churches during the pandemic. Accusations were hurled at our shepherds for being afraid and not having faith in God. ‘How can you deny us the right to the Eucharist’ was one of the often repeated lamentations.

However, now that we are able to return to church, there appears to be a lethargy among the faithful. Gone are the images that we may have conjured up of people rushing in droves to attend Mass. A significant proportion of the faith community have opted to con-tinue practising their faith online. They have found online worship simply more convenient.

Some people have unabashedly admitted to becoming so accus-tomed to attending Mass while seated comfortably on their couches. They have foregone the standing, kneeling, bowing and other ges-tures made at Mass. After almost two years of online service, they have transgressed from ‘attending’ Mass to ‘watching’ Mass, so much so that now having returned to church, they have to ‘re-learn’ or ‘re-condition’ themselves to become active participants.

So, it’s not a surprise that many parishes are now commenc-ing ‘revival-type’ programmes, with the Life in the Spirit Semi-nars (LSS) being one of them. Bishop Sebastian Francis, who is the Episcopal Advisor for the Peninsular Malaysia Service Team, recently urged prayer groups to organise these programmes in the parishes and dioceses (see Run Life in the Spirit Seminars, Pg 5)

This begs the question, have the restrictions and SOPs imposed on church-goers during the pandemic broken our worship habits? Has it taken a toll on our faith life and weakened our connection to the Eucharist? (see Time for Catholics to return to Mass, Pg 8)

Sometimes, we seasoned Catholics can become jaded, or at the least, we fall into routine about the great reality of the Eucharist. Just think how our love for Christ’s great gift of Himself could be renewed if we can step back and look anew on the Eucharist — with the eyes of a child receiving his or her First Communion, or from the perspective of the newly baptised who have found Jesus.

On another note, news on the closure of Catholic News Service’s domestic operations in the US may come as a surprise to many (see Back page). To quote David Gibson, who wrote an opinion piece in

the National Catholic Reporter … ‘Catholic News Service has been one of the most independent and highly regarded denominational news agencies in the US and the world; the tales of CNS editors, backed by a less compliant generation of Church officials, rejecting demands by angry churchmen to spike a story or rewrite it the way they like, are worthy of the best secular media legends.’

Indeed, as Catholic media, we sometimes face the dilemma of whether or not to run a story. We have to weigh the pros and cons of whether it will offend our Catholic community, or not. Will our ac-tions lead to people losing their faith in the hierarchy or the Catholic Church at large? Will we cause unity or division?

At the same time, we cannot be seen merely as a tool for propa-ganda. We need to have a balance of positive and, what some may term ‘negative’ news about the Church. So it was after much prayer and discernment that we have decided to carry the news on the sex abuse case in Singapore (see Page 10).

Stories on sex abuse in the Church are nothing new – there are many ongoing cases which we read about, in both the secular and Catholic media. However, we may not have felt affected because many of these incidents happened a long time ago and happened in parts of the world distant from us. But now we hear of an incident which literally happened next door. This is indeed a wake-up call for all of us. The reality is that such dangers lurk within the Church in many shapes and forms (see I am an abuse survivor, Pg 11). So together, let us do what is necessary to protect the young and vul-nerable.

We also ask for your continued support of HERALD as we aspire to inform and inspire the Catholic community.

Editor’s NotE

l Dr Steven Selvaraju is the Director of KL Archdiocesan Catechetical Centre. He holds a Doctorate in Theology with specialisation in Catechetics from the Pontifical Salesian University, Rome.

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5th Sunday of Easter (C)Readings: Acts of the Apostles 14:21-27 | Revelation 21:1-5

Gospel: John 13:31-33, 34-35

HERALD May 15, 2022 HomE / Pastoral 3

Ground breaking for new church in Permatang TinggiBy Christopher Kushi

PENANG: The parish community of the Church of the Holy Name of Mary in Permatang Tinggi are looking forward to their new church building, which is ex-pected to be ready in two years’ time.

On May 3, a group of parishioners to-gether with Bishop Sebastian Francis, hoed the ground to build the house of our Lord as a symbol of breaking ground.

During the liturgical blessing at the premises, the prelate quoted Psalm 127:1 ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain’ and stressed that we all labour in vain without God’s blessing. Bishop Sebastian said the new church will be in Mother Mary’s honour. The Holy Name of Mary has special sig-

nificance for the inexpressible love of the Mother of God for her Holy Child.

Initiated by now-retired Fr Augustine

Wong, the project should be completed by 2024. The new church, which will have the capacity to accommodate 1,200 peo-ple at a time, will cost around RM8 mil-lion. While fund-raising to cover the cost is ongoing, parishioners and well-wishers have already contributed half the sum.

Parish priest Fr Louis Loi said the vi-brant 3,500-strong Catholic community needed a bigger house of worship to keep up with its expanding congregation.

The old iconic Church of the Holy Name of Mary has a 129-year history, founded in 1893 by Fr Pierre Bouheret MEP. In 1928, then local priest, Fr Michael Seet, built the brick church we see today. The parish has provided many vocations and religious and lay leaders.

Bishop Sebastian Francis and parishioners at the ground breaking ceremony for the new church building in Permatang Tinggi.

A model of the new Church of the Holy Name of Mary.

Greetings and Peace of the Risen Lord be with you, dear Cath-olics of Malacca and Johore, continue to be surprised by the Lord, who makes all things new.

The MJD’s Diocesan Pre-Synod Assembly concluded on May 3, 2022. Some 176 representatives gathered to listen to one another, sense the leading of the Holy Spirit, and reach a dioc-esan pastoral consensus and direction. The final diocesan report will be presented at the coming Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, to finalise a national report.

These were what many commented: The prayerfulness of the gatherings, the respect in the group sharing, the openness to the bigger picture, an awareness that God is in control, and that the Spirit reveals to believers in community.

Fakes And Faking Times Are Here. Fake news! Fake reports! Fake allegations! Attack integrity, personal life, vulnerable fam-ily members, the fearless, the honest and uncompromising. Use the cyber space, pay-off the cyber troopers, millions to “mem-putihkan yang hitam; menghitamkan yang putih”. The fakes are ganging up to scratch each other’s back, and give legitimacy to condoning crimes. The fakes get police escorts. The fakes may fool some people some of the time, but they cannot fool all the people all of the time. The fakes maybe too convinced that they are genuine. But, can they fool death and judgement? Unless they have fooled themselves, thinking that their God can be fooled.

Some quotes from Scott Peck in his book “The People of The Lie”:1. Evil people, the people of the lie, hate the light because it reveals their selves to themselves. ... They will destroy the light, the goodness, the love in order to avoid the pain of self-aware-ness. 2. A predominant characteristic of the people of the lie is scape-goating. Because, in their hearts, they consider themselves above reproach, they must lash out at anyone who reproaches them. They sacrifice others to preserve their self-image of per-fection.1 Jn.1:8 says “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive our-selves and the truth is not in us.”

Malacca Johore Diocese News Update #86

15

24

25 - 28

Tamil Mass @ 8.00am, Church of St John Britto, Penang

English Mass @ 10.30am, Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Penang

SSVP State Council of Penang AGM @ 3.00pm, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Pulau Tikus

Catholic Health Care Asia (CHCA) @ 3.00pm, ZOOM

Confirmation - Church of Our Lady of Fatima of the Holy Rosary, Kota Bahru

Visitation of Catholics in Jeli and Tanah Merah

Penang Diocese

Diary of Bishop Sebastian Francis

May

Kuala lumPur archDiocese

Diary of Archbishop Julian Leow

May17 - 181928

Clergy recollection Archdiocesan Finance MeetingConfirmation Mass at Church of St Jude, Rawang

A Thought for the Week: The WisestSocrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, wanted to know who was the wisest person in Athens. The Delphic Oracle said, “You are!”

“That is impossible,” replied Socrates, “because I am aware that I know nothing.” “That,” said the Oracle, “is why you are the wisest person in Athens.”SOMETHING TO CONSIDER: Eckhart Tolle felt that to give up trying to understand, to sur-render and become comfortable with not knowing, is Wis-dom.

Adyashanti said that the door to God is the insecurity of not knowing anything. Bear the grace of that uncertainty and all wisdom will be yours.

Ben Gillison in Wise Quotes 88 said, “Wisdom is a mix-ture of experience, courage and intelligence. We all want to be wise and make wise decisions, because, when we do, we’re tapping into the best of ourselves. Quite often, being wise is just giving ourselves enough time to think (isn’t it quite often the case that snap judgements turn out poorer results than considered decisions!). Listening to wise coun-sel — to wise friends and mentors, who give us a more bal-anced perspective when we’re mulling over an idea — is a good way to tap into wiser choices.” Announcements for this Week1. The Clergy Monthly Recollection is scheduled for May 17-18 at Majodi2. The seminarians from Penang and Kuching will be back for their July break.3. On May 21, Saturday, the bishop will be attending Sheikh Imran’s Open House. 4. The nine-day Novena to the Holy Spirit in preparation for the great Feast of Pentecost will begin with the Feast of the Ascension, from May 27 till June 4. 5. The Church celebrates World Communications Sunday on the weekend of May 29 or the Seventh Sunday of Easter.6. The Easter Joy Hampers Project by the Society of St

Vincent de Paul raised a total of 135 hampers worth RM200 each, for the South Johor friends-in-need (FINs). 7. The Orang Asli Back to School Project by Caritas-MJ-DOHD collected RM28,000 to help struggling Orang Asli children. A total of 300 school children from Kampung Orang Asli in Kota Tinggi, Mersing and Kluang benefitted from this project. To the generous benefactors of the above two projects, thank you.

This week’s Question and Query: The Q asked: Why did Pope Francis say that liturgy should not be a “battleground?”This is what Pope Francis said:1. Liturgical life and the study of it, should lead to greater Church unity, not division. When the liturgical life is a bit like a banner of division, there is the stench of the devil in there.2. It is not possible to worship God while making the liturgy a battleground for issues that are not essential, indeed, out-dated issues, and to take sides starting with the liturgy, with ideologies that divide the Church.3. Close-minded people use liturgical framework to defend their views. This is the drama we are experiencing in eccle-sial groups that are distancing themselves from the Church, questioning the Council, the authority of the bishops in or-der to preserve tradition. And the liturgy is used for that.Just a thought: The liturgy feeds and frees us to feed the hungry and free the imprisoned.

Walk in His peace. “Religion does not tolerate any ques-tion. But Spirituality questions everything”. We are the liv-ing parts of the Body of Christ. Let us together, you and I, plant God spaces where we are planted.

Bishop Bernard PaulMay 13, 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RIP5PlVE9U

HERALD May 15, 2022HomE4

JOHOR BAHRU: The Diocesan Synod As-sembly of the Malacca Johore Diocese (MJD) was held at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on May 3. Some 180 representa-tives from all parishes in the diocese, clergy, and religious, attended the event.

During Adoration, the focus was on unity, as one in journey and service, reflecting on 1 Cor 11: 12-31.

Bishop Bernard Paul, in his opening ad-dress said, “As a Church and diocese, we come here today to thank God for the bless-ings we have received, especially as we close the diocesan synod. We are invited to recall our faith journey as the people of God in this diocese and to start this process again, walk-ing and discerning together in the light of the Holy Spirit.”

We are called to be 1. Inclusive2. Integrated: united and not divided3. Intentional in our actions 4. Inspired by the Holy Spirit Fr Moses Rayappan, in his welcoming ad-

dress said, “This is our journey, this is our Synod. Our service in, and to the Church, is not work but a sacrifice. We don’t serve only those we like, or when we have free time, but what we administer is a service to one another in love. Our feet symbolise our journey and our hands symbolise our service. Our feet mark the journey we make in this world, leaving footprints for others to follow, and through our hands, we render service to the world, Church, and one another. We build God’s Kingdom through our journey and ser-vice since it’s the most visible sign of us as zealous witnesses of Christ.

“Today we come as a diocese, we put aside all our prejudices, and we come with open hearts to listen to the Holy Spirit and to one another. If we do not listen to the Holy Spirit, we will most certainly not accept the view-point of the other.

“We should be proud of belonging to this diocese. We should think as a diocese, move as a diocese, and journey as a diocese.”

The input session was conducted in four languages and the questions given for reflec-tion were:

1. How do you envision MJD in 10 years? 2. Name three issues that need the dio-cese’s immediate attention.3. List three plans or programmes that will better equip us for the future as a diocese.There were also faith journey testimonials

shared by the various language groups, mem-bers of the migrant community, and an Orang Asli representative.

During the concluding Mass, Bishop Bernard shared the symbol of the tree, chosen as the cultural image for the diocese, focusing on Communion, Participation, and Mission.

During the recessional hymn, Bishop Ber-nard gave all parish priests a plant to plant in their respective parishes. After Mass, Bishop Bernard and Fr Edward Rayappan each planted a plant at the grotto. This is our Synod, this is our Faith Journey. — By MJD Diocesan Synod Team

The synod is our faith journey

Bishop Bernard Paul and the clergy celebrating Mass at the Diocesan Synod Assembly.

The input session was conducted for the different language groups.

Prayer for the SynodAdsumus Sancte Spiritus

For a synodal Church

communion l participation l

mission

We stand before You, Holy Spirit,as we gather together in Your name.With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts;Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder.Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time,in the communion of the Father and the Son,forever and ever. Amen.

Synod20212023

MJD’s choice, the people’s choice: this is MJD’s synodal symbol — a tree of many colours, and many fruits, diverse and different, at different stages of growth

1. Our ROOTS: Our LIFE-SUPPORT: The Communion in+ Christ, Community, Church, and Creation+ Scripture, Tradition, and Doctrine + History, Stories, our Past, and Present2. Our TRUNK: Our LIFELINE: The Participation in+ Prayer, the Word, the Sacraments, the Community+ Eucharist, to Feed the Poor and Needy+ Family, Community, Church, and Ecological Lives3. Our FRUITS: Our LIFE-GIVING: The Mission+ Bear Good and Enduring Fruits+ Touch Lives+ Never Grow Tired of Doing Good+ Hear the Cry of the Poor and the Cry of Creation+ Love What God Loves3. OUR FRUITS. OUR LIFE-GIVING. OUR MISSION2. OUR TRUNK. OUR LIFELINE. OUR PARTICIPATION1. OUR ROOTS. OUR LIFE-SUPPORT. OUR COMMUNION

HERALD May 15, 2022 HomE 5

Run Life in the Spirit Seminars!KUALA LUMPUR: Prayer groups have been urged to run Life in the Spirit Seminars (LSS) in the parishes and dioceses. Bishop Sebastian Francis, the Episcopal Advisor for the Pen-insular Malaysia Service Team (PMST), said this during the first physical meeting of the PMST recently.

Addressing leaders from the multilingual prayer groups and priests in charge of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) via Zoom, Bishop Sebastian Francis echoed the words of Pope Fran-cis, “I ask each and all of you that, as part of the current of grace of the Charismatic Renew-al, you may organise seminars of Life in the Spirit in your dioceses and parishes to share Baptism in the Spirit”.

“It is catechesis. It is catechesis that produces, by the work of the

Holy Spirit, a personal encoun-ter with Jesus which changes our lives”.

During the morning praise and worship, both leaders and priests were singing and praying in tongues.

PMST Chairman, Simon Mat-thew, said “the Catholic Char-ismatic Renewal in Peninsular Malaysia will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee on August 26 to 27, 2023 (it was started by Sr Mary Cammody (Cyril), IJ in Taiping in 1973).

As a run up to next year’s gold-en jubilee, he urged CCR prayer group leaders in parishes to work closely with bishops and priests to promote and organise the LSS.

“It can be a meaningful cel-ebration promoting a Communi-tarian, Hope and Spirit-filled cel-ebration for all, especially now with the reopening of churches

nationwide. May the Holy Spir-it-filled celebration inspire us to pray, to give, to love, to serve and to proclaim the Word of God ef-

fectively and passionately during these challenging times of post COVID-19,” Simon said.

The one day meeting conclud-

ed with Bishop Sebastian Fran-cis leading the closing prayer, by reciting the Regina Caeli and the prayer for the Synod.

The PMST members with Archbishop Julian Leow, who dropped in towards the end of the meeting. Inset photo: Bishop Sebastian Francis addressed the meeting via Zoom.

MELAKA: Forty-year-old Fr Pat-rick Tyoh, who is currently the youngest priest in the diocese of Malacca-Johore, celebrated his ninth sacerdotal anniversary on May 1, at the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Krubong.

At the Sunday Mass, Fr Patrick reminded the faithful that Jesus loves us, and we should follow Him and share our faith with oth-ers. He also spoke about his expe-

rience during his 14-day quaran-tine in Serdang last year.

The young priest said that cel-ebrating his priestly anniversary with his flock of six years ena-bled parishioners to be closer and share the joy of his priesthood. He requested all families to pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life — as a vocation is not from stone but from families.

A fellowship was held in the

church hall during which parish-ioners brought an anniversary cake and a variety of local delicacies and sumptuous dishes.

More than 200 people were pre-sent at the 11.00am event. Fr Pat-rick thanked everyone for their prayers and their contributions to the luncheon. He also expressed his appreciation to his fellow cler-gy for their support in his priestly journey. — By Bernard Anthony

Youngest priest in MJ Diocese celebrates sacerdotal anniversary

KOTA KINABALU: As the com-munity of the Sacred Heart Ca-thedral (SHC) gathered for the closing of their synod process on April 23, they were issued with a challenge by Archbishop John Wong to “make an impact, not only to the parish of Sacred Heart and sub-parish of Church of Mary Immaculate, but also to the whole archdiocese.”.

The Parish Pastoral Assembly was convened by parish priest Fr Paul Lo, to officially close the par-ish synodal process.

The SHC parish synod process was launched on Oct 22, 2021, spanning a six-month journey of listening to the experiences of the grassroot Catholics about being Church – as companions journey-ing together, in their participa-

tion in promoting collaboration between the groups and dialogue with society, and their understand-ing about mission and sharing re-sponsibility in the mission of the Church.

Fr Paul informed that reports from the synodal consultations of various communities (LJC-CC, Neo-catechumenate, OCDS, FSIC, CFC, Filipino Community), parish groups and ministries had been submitted to the parish office for compilation and synthesising, which was forwarded to the arch-diocesan office by end of April.

Coordinator of the Archdiocesan Team for the Synod Process, An-thony Lim, recapped the Synod of Bishops 2023 on Synodality, which is about “journeying togeth-er” through communion, participa-

tion and mission.He quoted Pope Francis, “It is a

mutual listening in which every-one (laity/religious/priests, bish-ops and Pope) has something to learn from each other, and all lis-tening to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17) in order to know what He is saying to the Church.”

Anthony also stressed that the Spirit of Synodality must continue to become the way of life for the parishes/archdiocese to move for-ward in building the Kingdom of God (as stated in the Archdiocesan Vision).

He believed that God would bless all who had participated in the parish synodal process and those who laid claim on their sense of belonging to the parish.

Fr Paul then presented a throw-back on the parish synod processes of the various parish groups. He highlighted that the youth and chil-dren from the Neo-catechumenate and the Chinese Faith Formation were also involved in the process, with the guidance of the teachers.

The synodal syntheses, which contained both the positive and negative aspects of the synod conversations, were presented by Bernard Liew (SHC) and Patrick Tan (CMI). The synthesis reports can be obtained from the parish of-fices.

There was an open session after the presentation of the syntheses. Among the views shared were: the local Church had already begun the journey of synodality with the Archdiocesan Vision and Mission

under the Diocesan Organisational Pastoral Plan (DOPP) 25 years ago; pastoral care for the blind and the physically handicapped to be improved, social teaching of the Church to be more visibly promot-ed, media technology to be tapped as a way to reach the youth, etc.

As the assembly concluded, Archbishop John commended the active participation of all in the synod process, to reflect on their faith journey from baptism in which one shares the threefold mission of Christ, namely priestly, kingly and prophetic.

They are to be congratulated for being chosen to be witnesses of the Risen Christ, who promised to be with His Church throughout the ages. — By Catherine Wan, Catholic Sabah

SHC closes synod process with parish pastoral assembly

Fr Patrick Tyoh cutting his anniversary cake with his parishioners on May 1, 2022.

KUALA LUMPUR: In conjunction with Vocation Sunday, the Prayer Missionaries gathered virtually via Google Meet to pray the Rosary for vocations especially within the Arch-diocese of Kuala Lumpur, on May 7.

This group of differently abled indi-viduals, comes under the patronage of the Pontifical Mission Societies of the Archdiocese. Archbishop Julian Leow together with Fr Raymond Pereira, the Director for Pontifical Mission Soci-eties, and Fr Edwin Peter, joined the virtual gathering. A few seminarians and friends were also present.

A member of the prayer team shared her thoughts:

“I feel happy and blessed to be a

part of this session, as we come to-gether to pray for our seminarians and, in general, for more vocations to the priestly and religious life.” She added that this is also a reminder for her to always take care of God’s spe-cial children as she continues to pray for them and their families as a com-munity.”

Seminarian Bro Anthony Robert said that he was grateful to the Prayer Missionaries, and for their love, prayers and support. He added that he was inspired by their faith and com-mitment.

This virtual gathering ended with Mother’s Day wishes and blessings by Archbishop Julian.

Differently abled pray for vocations

A screen grab of the Prayer Missionaries’ virtual gathering.

HERALD May 15, 2022HomE6

Feast of St Joseph in Sg Choh chapelRAWANG: The Chapel of St Joseph, Sungai Choh, celebrated the feast of its patron saint from April 29 to May 1.

Some 100 people participated in the first two days of the triduum, and the third and final day attracted about 300 people.

The administrator of the chapel and parish priest of the Church of St Jude Thaddeus, Fr Vincent Thomas, in his homily, spoke about the simplicity of St Joseph, who never had any prominence but was always there for Jesus and Mary, supporting them quietly. Fr Frederick Joseph of the Church of St Joseph, Sentul, celebrated the Mass with Msgr James Gnana-piragasam and Fr Vincent as con-celebrants.

May 1 also marked the fifth an-

niversary of Fr Vincent’s priestly ordination, and the people of Sg Choh presented him with a cake.

A team of volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the feast, which ended with great

joy. Parishioners were thrilled to be able to honour their patron saint after a two year lapse due to the pandemic and hoped to celebrate his feast on a grander note next year. — By Mercy Almeida Stellus

Being set free from evil spiritsBy Carmel Dominic

PENANG: Make no mistake – the Devil is real. As science and tech-nology advance, it gets easier for him to hide in plain sight. You can be sure that he and his dark angels are prowling the world for the ruin of souls in every aspect, way and form. In fact, in modern times, he doesn’t even bother to disguise him-self. He comes in the form of your inner most aspirations.

Lucifer, who was once God’s favourite angel and was in charge of the angelic choir in Heaven, fell from grace because of pride. Instead of giving God all the worship and glory, he wanted it for himself. He and his angels were permanently cast out of heaven after he lost the war with St Michael and the heav-enly angels.

The devil was given dominion over the world, and he has very comfortably made it his playground. He despises the fact that the human

race has hope through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ whereas he does not. Hence, he is always trying to infil-trate our hearts and minds against God.

These were among some of the points highlighted by Deacon Clement Samuel during his 90- minute talk on how to be free from evil spirits.

Organised by the Penang Dioc-esan New Evangelisation Commis-sion (PDNEC), Deacon Clement who heads the Penang Deliver-ance team presented the session via Zoom.

The deacon said that we make it easy for the evil one to enter our lives by the “wrong” choices we make on a daily basis. Take for ex-ample, an innocent act of reading the daily horoscope — this gives the devil an entrance into our lives. This is because, the more we read the horoscope, the more we are likely to place our belief in those readings and less likely to trust our Heavenly

Father. Those readings offer something

tangible for us to hold on to, as op-posed to trusting an Omnipresent Loving Father whom we cannot see.

The Catholic Church vehemently discourages getting involved in the occult — tarot cards, crystals, for-tune telling, charms, potions, spells, spirit coin, Ouija board, mediums, palm reading, feng shui, blood pacts and the like, as the evil one has its tentacles fully immersed in black

magic such as these. The evil spirits slowly take control of our lives and cause division between us and God, and our loved ones, by instilling in us either a false sense of pride and power or filling us with fear, doubt, anger, depression, anxiety, luring us to various addictions that will even-tually lead us into hopelessness and, in some unfortunate cases, destruc-tion.

Deacon Clement also said that evil spirits can be inherited down the generations. If someone in our ancestry dabbled in black magic, chances are the following genera-tions might unknowingly be living with the evil spirits that cause sick-ness, blind rage, intolerance, unfor-giveness and, at times, disturbing/odd behaviour that can be mistaken for mental illness.

Rest assured however, that God is greater. And all is not lost. We always have hope in the name of Jesus. Through Jesus’ death and res-urrection and the Sacrament of Rec-

onciliation, we can be reconciled to our loving Father and return to lead normal lives.

We first have to acknowledge that we have allowed ourselves, knowingly or unknowingly, to be exposed to these evil spirits. We should approach our parish priest who, by virtue of his ordination, has been given authority by the bishop to deal promptly with the matter. He can also ask the bishop for more help if need be.

Bishops and priests are represent-atives of Christ. Just as Jesus cast out evil spirits and demons through-out His life on earth, bishops, priests and selected lay members have the divine and spiritual authority to do the same. On a daily basis, we can make the effort to keep the spirits at bay with prayer and making choices that fall in line with the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

l Click here for more https:// youtu.be/775d1nPCfgo

Deacon Clement Samuel

SELANGOR: The Chapel of St Joseph in the Nigel Gardner Es-tate, Bukit Tagar, celebrated its feast day on May 2, after a two-year lapse, due to the pandemic.

Church of St Paul the Hermit parish priest Fr James Gabriel, who was there for the first time, thanked God for everything He had given the local parishioners and for the sweet, irreplaceable memories of growing up in and around the estate.

“It is always a blessing for the people of God to celebrate a church’s feast day. God is surely waiting for us to come here so He can impart His protection and care, to bless us, and we can do more for Jesus and God,” said Fr James.

Ahead of the annual celebration, seven families from the parish do-nated RM1,000 each to help cover the cost of repairs. Other individu-als and families sponsored the rental of chairs and tents, lunch, and flowers for the feast day. The writer secured a RM10,000 do-

nation from the former owner of Century Logistics in Port Klang Datuk Richard Phua. The chapel committee is working on plans to renovate and expand the chapel to be also used as a centre for youth programmes and retreats.

Francis Sinaran thanked every-one who contributed to the feast day celebrations. He paid tribute to the ‘founding fathers’ of the chapel, many of whose family members were present to join in the festivities.

The writer was also given a token of appreciation for his late father KRK Samy’s (baptised Anthony Reynauld) role in the initiation and establishment of the chapel. The estimated 67-year-old parish was officially opened by then-Archbishop Dominic Vendargon, shortly after he was ordained a prelate in 1955. Now, there are hardly any Catholics liv-ing on the Nigel Gardner Estate, most come from nearby estates, Bestari Jaya, or its surrounding towns. — By Ben Reynauld

Msgr James Gnanapiragasam and Fr Frederick Joseph raising their hands in blessing over Fr Vincent Thomas who celebrated the 5th anniversary of his priestly ordination.

Nigel Gardner Estate chapel feast day

A screen grab of the Chapel of St Joseph in Nigel Gardner Estate during its recent feast day celebration.

MANTIN: A group of Catholics from Kuala Lumpur visited the Orang Asli Catholic community in Kampung Belihoi recently. They were joined by Fr Christopher Soosaipillai, parish priest of the Church of St Aloysius and seminarian Bro Albert.

On hand to welcome the visitors was Langkap, head of the Orang Asli Catholic community, who expressed joy and gratitude to God for the fel-lowship.

Some 60 members of the Orang Asli Catholic community gathered at

Gereja Kebangkitan Kristus to greet their guests, who presented them with 630kgs of essential foodstuff. They were also given 20 pillows, school bags, detergent, and children’s clothes.

Located eight km from Mantin town, the hilly village’s chapel was established in 1988. Langkap, 62, said the chapel, which was previ-ously his parent’s home, was where the residents embraced the Catholic faith. He thanked Fr Anthony Na-den who started the mission there in

the 1980s.Since then, 10 priests have been

responsible for the faithful’s pasto-ral care. Presently, the village has 50 families in residence, of which 35 families profess the Catholic faith. However, only 20 families attend Mass regularly. Fr Christopher cur-rently celebrates three Masses per month in Bahasa Malaysia.

After a praise and worship session at the chapel, Fr Christopher, encour-aged the Orang Asli to deepen their knowledge of the Scriptures by read-ing the Bible regularly. Bro Albert presented 20 copies of the Al-Kitab to the families, while the city guests highlighted the importance of ‘spir-itual food’ to nourish their souls; not just focusing on material food for their bodies.

Everyone adjourned to the chapel foyer for tea and fellowship. After the long break due to the pandemic, it was a joyous occasion for the com-munity to mingle with fellow Catho-lics, creating a sense of belonging with the Universal Church. — By Bernard Anthony

Kg Belihoi Orang Asli welcome city guests

Fr Christopher Soosaipillai briefly addressing the Orang Asli community.

Macau Diocese promotes pro-life American filmMACAU: Macau Diocese has encouraged Catholics and people of other faiths in the former Portuguese colony to watch the premier show of 2019 pro-life American drama film Unplanned.

Cineteatro de Macau, a single-screen theatre helmed by Macau Diocesan Social Communication Centre, will feature the film on May 19, reported Jornal O’Clarim, the Catholic weekly of Macau Diocese.

Fr Daniel Ribeiro, parish priest of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady, said the entire diocese is promoting the film with an aim to spread the pro-life message to Macanese citizens.

“All families are invited to watch the film,” Fr Ribeiro said.

The promotion of the film is part of Macau Diocese’s activities based on the Catholic Church’s pro-life and anti-abor-

tion stance stemming from Catholic Social Teaching on the sacredness of human life.

Last year Macau Diocese offered a spe-cial Mass and inaugurated a monument for “a celebration of aborted foetuses” at the diocesan funeral home.

Unplanned is a powerful film based on the 2011 memoir of Abby Johnson, a for-mer clinic director of Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organisation that provides reproductive and abortion-related health services globally. Johnson became a lead-ing anti-abortion activist after quitting the agency.

The film was theatrically released in the US by evangelical Christian Pure Flix studio on March 29, 2019, amid protests from pro-choice abortion rights activ-ists. Its directors are Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman with main actors Ash-

ley Bratcher, Brooks Ryan and Robia Scott.Macau, often dubbed the Las Vegas of

the East for its glittering gaming and gam-bling industry, is a special administrative region of China. It was under Portuguese rule from 1557 to 1999. Macau Diocese has 30,000 Catholics in nine parishes out of an estimated population of 700,000 in the is-land city.

Local media reports suggest that the city is a prime destination of sex trafficking where many local and foreign women and girls end up becoming sex workers in the city’s brothels, businesses, and homes.

As a result, Macau has high levels of un-wanted pregnancies and abortions, though no official data is available. Analysts be-lieve the scourge of abortion in Macau is as high as in mainland China, where abortion is legal. — ucanews.com

HERALD May 15, 2022 asia 7

MANILA: The victory of Ferdinand Mar-cos Jr. in this year’s presidential race seems to show that Filipino Catholics are not anymore keen on listening to their bishops and priests who talk about the morality of politics.

Dr Jayeel Cornelio, a sociologist of re-ligion at the Ateneo de Manila University, said Church leaders “might wish to aban-don” the assumption that morality is reflect-ed on political choices.

He said people’s preference for Marcos “does not have anything to do with the Ten Commandments for the simple reason that they see the man as someone who will bring the country back to its glorious days.”

“Authoritarian nostalgia, in other words, is real,” said Cornelio, adding that Marcos’ victory “only goes to show how religious endorsements do not always work.”

He said that, unlike other religious groups that are used to the so-called bloc voting, Catholics “are not accustomed to voting as a bloc.”

“In fact, Filipino Catholics, in my own re-search, tend to be turned off whenever their priests venture into politics,” said Cornelio.

He said the political atmosphere has “dra-matically changed” since the 1986 People Power uprising where Catholic Church leaders played a crucial role in rallying the people.

“Filipino Catholics are no longer looking to Church leaders for political guidance,” said Cornelio.

“Filipinos, in general too, are far more open to strongman leadership, and making endorsements in favour of one candidate over another will not make the cut this time around,” he said.

Ronald Holmes, a political scientist and president of pollster Pulse Asia, said “Mar-cos’ appeal cuts across religious affilia-tions” even as several religious leaders sup-ported his rival.

He said the institutional Church seemed to have depoliticised itself. “It has stopped its formation strategies and neglected socio-political formation,” said Holmes.

“The efforts to form the people should be consistent throughout and not only when it’s close to elections,” he added.

Holmes said that if the Church wanted its followers to “judge morally,” there should be a continuous civic campaign “to imprint it in the minds of the people.”

The group Clergy for the Moral Choice, which consists of about 1,400 members, only made a formal endorsement of the candidacy of Marcos’ rival, Vice President Leni Robredo, a few days before the polls.

Lawyer Antonio La Viña, former dean at the School of Government of the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University, said “propa-

ganda and fake news” contributed to the success of Marcos’ campaign.

He said the “Church has failed to keep the morality of the people aligned in the height of disinformation.”

“The disconnect here is they see the moral values in Marcos … because of the disinfor-mation that has built up for years,” he said.

Although the Catholic Bishops’ Confer-ence of the Philippines issued pastoral let-ters on the election, La Viña said “letters and homilies, no matter how strong the message is, are not enough.”

“What’s missing here is the endorsement of the Church as an institution and their ef-forts to evangelise people and teach them the application of this morality,” he said.

Unlike the Iglesia ni Cristo, Catholic Church leaders should have gone out to keep the people’s political discipline in check, said La Viña.

“They should have made sure that the people understand what they’re doing, their moralities, and this way, they could’ve countered the fake news,” he said. — LiCAS News

PHNOM PENH: The Catholic Church in Cambodia has been putting its weight behind an awareness campaign to protect factory workers from workplace harassment.

In the latest effort, the workers’ commit-tee of the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh organised a seminar for 30 workers in the capital, Phnom Penh, on International La-bour Day, May 1, reported Catholic Cam-bodia, the communication wing of the local Church.

Mao Srey Keo, secretary of the committee and coordinator of the workers’ programme, said they brought workers together to un-derstand more about workplace harassment and to train them to protect themselves and their co-workers from abusive treatment in factories.

He said the committee visits workers in factories every month to know about their grievances and to overcome challenges in

their personal and work lives.Keynote speaker Neou Sovatha, an official

from Care Cambodia, an international anti-poverty development group, advised work-ers to be aware of their legal rights, to fight harassment.

Cambodia has a national labour law cov-ering employment contracts, wages, benefits

and non-discrimination, according to the In-ternational Labour Organisation.

However, the Borgen Project, a global group battling poverty and hunger, noted that, despite the law, industrial workers, es-pecially garment labourers, face routine har-assment and abuses, as well as job insecurity due to fixed-term contracts, gender discrimi-

nation, a high-pressure work environment, violations of child labour laws and the gov-ernment’s busting of labour unions.

Workers who attended the May Day pro-gramme found it useful.

Ou On, 41, a worker from the Guangdong garment factory, said she learned how to deal with harassment such as sexual abuse in the workplace.

“I will encourage my colleagues and tell them: Do not be afraid, we have to struggle. We must dare to solve our problems togeth-er,” she said.

Seng Sarith, a 28-year-old electrician, said: “I think such a programme helps a lot of workers. This programme is a first step to-wards changing our mindset about our rights as workers.”

Mao said the programme will continue with meetings at least twice a month, camps and seminars. — ucanews.com

‘Religious endorsements don’t always work’

Church helps Cambodian workers tackle harassment

Catholic priests pray for Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate former senator Francis Pangilinan days before the May 9, 2022, Philippine elections. (LiCas News Photo/Vincent Go)

Workers attend a seminar in Cambodian capital Phnom Penh organised by the Catholic Church on International Labour Day. (UCA News Photo/Catholic Cambodia)

HERALD May 15, 2022World8

VATICAN: In a speech to discas- tery leaders on May 9, a bishop said that the new Vatican constitu-tion gives value to Catholic bish-ops’ conferences and their poten-tial to foster communion between bishops and the Pope.

The preamble of Praedicate Evangelium, Bishop Marco Mel-lino said, affirms that bishops’ con-ferences “are currently one of the most significant ways of express-ing and serving ecclesial commun-ion in the different regions, togeth-er with the Roman Pontiff.”

Mellino, who is the secretary of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardi-nals, said the constitution’s inten-tion is “that of valuing the episco-pal conferences ... in their potential for implementing the communion of the bishops among themselves and with the Roman Pontiff.”

He went on to say that this works to the extent that each of the bish-ops’ conferences “is a valid in-strument which contributes, in a manifold and fruitful way, to the realisation of the collegial affec-tion among the members of the same episcopate and provides for the common good of the particular Churches.”

Mellino’s speech was published on May 9 in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano. It includ-ed reflections on the role of laity, synodality, and the Roman Curia’s orientation towards service, as out-lined in the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium.

The new Vatican constitution, whose title means “Preach the Gospel,” was published on March 19 after nine years in production by the Pope’s Council of Cardi-nals.

It replaces Pastor Bonus, the ap-ostolic constitution on the Roman Curia promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1988, and later modified by Popes Benedict and Francis.

Praedicate Evangelium will take effect on June 5, the Solemnity of Pentecost.

In the constitution, Mellino said, bishops’ conferences “are not con-sidered intermediate hierarchical structures, but rather bodies of subsidiarity, which do not interfere with the Petrine office or the gov-ernance of particular Churches.”

“They express and foster the ex-ercise of ‘co-responsibility in the communio’ for the pastoral benefit and common good of the particular

Churches through the joint exer-cise of certain functions proper to them,” he said.

The bishop also drew attention to the use of the word “jointly” in Church law about bishops’ confer-ences.

In canon law, canon 447 says “a conference of bishops, a perma-nent institution, is a group of bish-ops of some nation or certain ter-ritory who jointly exercise certain pastoral functions for the Christian faithful of their territory in order to promote the greater good which the Church offers to humanity.”

The word “jointly” is used “in order to avoid the idea that in epis-copal conferences is exercised the collegial power of the bishops, which can be exercised by them only when the whole College is convoked,” he said.

“Moreover, by making reference to the joint exercise of only ‘some pastoral functions’ and not all, the canon seeks to protect the responsi-bility that by divine right the bish-ops have for the Church entrusted to their care and not to affect the proper power that they have in the exercise of their pastoral ministry.” — By Hannah Brockhaus, CNA

New Vatican constitution gives value to Catholic bishops’ conferences

RIGA, Latvia: An exhibition of artwork by Ukrainian refugee children opened on May 8 at the complex of St James’ Cathedral in Riga. Hosted by Archbishop Zbigņev Stankevičs, the event was attended by several ambassa-dors to Latvia.

“This initiative of [the] Catho-lic Church of Latvia managed to unite Latvian society — gov-ernment bodies, businesses and private citizens in the name of children, love and support for one another,” said the Archbishop of Riga.

“It was amazing that we also hosted an international audience — 14 ambassadors in Latvia,” Archbishop Stankevičs added.

The archbishop gave an open-ing speech at the event. Among those in attendance were his aux-iliary, Bishop Andris Kravalis; Fr Roman Sapuzhak of the Greek-Catholic parish in Riga; and Olex-andr Mischenko, Ukraine’s Am-bassador to Latvia.

“In spite of all horrors that those children went through, those works have no feeling of revenge, fear or hatred in them. They are full of kindness and hope,” Arch-bishop Stankevičs said during his opening speech.

Mischenko thanked the Catho-lic Church in Latvia for its warm welcome and heartfelt support for the children, who had lost so much.

Gabriella Cabiere, an art histori-an who is curating the exhibition, spoke about Ukraine’s future and the artistic talent of the children.

The opening night included a

live concert to give the children and their families “an evening to remember and for a few hours to take their minds off the horrors happening in their homeland,” the Archbishop of Riga said.

The exhibit includes art since March by more than 200 children who have come to Latvia follow-ing Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The works “show so much pain but also tenacity, spirit and hope. Those works of art are talking to us and bringing real life, unadul-terated emotions of children that went through horror,” a represent-ative of the Riga archdiocese said.

The artworks include tanks and experiences of the war, but also homes and pets that were left be-hind.

“Those families are in great need of our help not only physi-cal but also emotional. They need to know that they are not alone in this war but that the whole world is behind them and with them. Those children are the future of their country,” the representative reflected.

The opening was a “special moment” for the archdiocese be-cause the Church had extended an invitation to the diplomatic corps in Riga “and received an over-whelming response, now they’re coming together to show unity of support to Ukrainian people.”

The exhibit has been organised by Caritas Latvija and the Church in the country. It will remain open until May 23 with free admission. Donations will be used to main-tain the children’s art studio. — By Carl Bunderson, CNA

Riga archdiocese hosts exhibition on Ukrainian refugee children’s artwork

CARDIFF: Catholics in England and Wales should come back to Mass now that the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic have receded, the countries’ bishops have said, as they announce the reinstatement of the Sunday Mass obligation.

“Since the beginning of the COV-ID pandemic, until the present time, we have shared with you our judg-ment that the situation of the last two years has meant that the Sunday Obligation has been impeded,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said on May 6. “We thank God that this situation has now changed.”

The pandemic’s challenges have significantly lessened and most peo-ple have resumed normal activities, the bishops said.

“We therefore believe that the rea-sons which prevented Catholics from attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation no longer apply,” they said in a resolution passed at their spring plenary meeting.

The bishops said attendance at Mass on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation is “the greatest of all priv-ileges.”

“A beautiful hallmark of the Catholic faith is the profound desire to participate in the Holy Mass and share in the Eucharist. We do so with deep gratitude and joy,” they said. The Eucharist “enables us to worship Almighty God, to support each other on our journey of faith, and to be a visible sign of faith in the world.”

Opening the bishops’ message was

a quotation of Christ’s words from the Gospel of John: “This is the bread come down from heaven.”

“In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Lord’s Supper, the Lord Jesus en-trusted to us the precious gift of Him-self,” the bishops continued. “With humility, we glory in being a Eucha-ristic people for whom attendance at Mass is essential. Looking forward to the forthcoming feast of Pentecost, we now invite all Catholics who have not yet done so, to return to attending Mass in person.”

“We are grateful to our clergy, religious and lay faithful who have served our parishes, schools and communities with dedication and distinction throughout this pandem-ic,” they said. “Now we look forward with renewed faith and confidence.”

People with underlying health conditions or compromised immune systems face increased vulnerability, which the Catholic bishops acknowl-edged.

“We understand there will still be

some members of our congregations who, for reasons of health, do not feel safe enough to return to Mass,” said the bishops’ message. “It has always been the understanding of the Church that when the freedom of any Catho-lic to attend Mass in person is imped-ed for a serious reason, because of situations such as ill health, care for the sick or legitimate fear, this is not a breach of the Sunday Obligation.”

While the online streaming of Catholic services has helped benefit the faithful, the bishops said, online viewing of Mass does not fulfil a Catholic’s Sunday obligation.

“It may, however, be a source of continual spiritual comfort to those who cannot attend Mass in person, for example those who are elderly and sick, for whom the obligation does not apply,” they said. “In this context, we recognise gratefully the ministry of those who administer Holy Communion to the elderly, sick and housebound.” — By Kevin J. Jones, CNA

Time for Catholics to return to Mass

With the COVID pandemic receding, the bishops in England and Wales have announced the reinstatements of the Sunday Mass obligation. While the online streaming of Catholic services has helped benefit the faithful, the bishops said, online viewing of Mass does not fulfil a Catholic’s Sunday obligation.

The opening night of an exhibition of art by Ukrainian refugee children at St James’ Cathedral in Riga, Latvia, May 8, 2022. (CNA photo/Archdiocese of Riga)

HERALD May 15, 2022 focus 9

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors concluded its Seventh Or-

dinary Plenary Assembly, culmi-nating in an audience with Pope Francis. Following that meeting with the Holy Father, the Com-mission’s president and Arch-bishop of Boston, Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, OFM Cap, met with journalists to recount the re-cent days’ events.

Together with him was Fr An-drew Small, OMI, Secretary of the Commission. Also present were Members Nelson Giovanelli Rosendo dos Santos of Brazil, an expert in the rehabilitation of youth from drug addiction and abuse; and Juan Carlos Cruz of Chile, a communications execu-tive and global advocate for sur-vivors of clerical abuse, both who recently visited Ukraine to assist in dealing with the crisis of un-accompanied children fleeing Ukraine and assuring their protec-tion. Both spoke about that expe-rience and their work on the Com-mission and the great hopes for its future work given its new role.

Child protection priorityCardinal O’Malley explained how the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium shows how Pope Francis has placed the importance of child protection at the core of the Church’s central government. In this way also, Pope Francis “has given the Com-mission a very clear mandate to animate the entire Church from

within the Roman Curia on the subject of child protection.”

Pope Francis has formally insti-tuted the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors as part of the Roman Curia, within the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. In speaking to the leadership, staff and members of the Commission, the Pope made it clear that the autonomy of the Commission remains, but that it was also necessary to anchor it to an appropriate Vatican office since it could not remain a type of satellite entity.

A mandate with autonomyCardinal O’Malley noted that this autonomy is also meant to ensure the integrity of the Commission’s

expertise and the full freedom to give advice to the Pope on these delicate matters. The Cardinal also recalled how the Pope empha-sised how abuse survivors must receive “a welcome and an open door when they appeal to the local church in their country.” And this needs to be a priority throughout the Church. He said the Commis-sion will be working to do so by encouraging local churches to es-tablish survivor support services at the national level, as called for in the Pope’s Motu Proprio Vos Estis Lux Mundi.

Cardinal O’Malley also men-tioned how Pope Francis wants the Commission to take on the responsibility “to supervise, pro-mote, encourage and report back

to him on the progress that is made in fulfilling the mandates in Vos Estis.

Fr Andrew Small, OMI, high-lighted three important outcomes and mandates for the Commis-sion’s work.

Reports directly to the PopeFirst, he underscored the auton-omy of the Commission’s work, although it will come under the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. The President of the Com-mission is appointed by the Pope and reports directly to him, with-out filters. At the same time, the Vatican department deals with matters pertaining to doctrine, morals and justice, and so became the logical choice to place the

Commission, especially as it has a proactive vision of child dignity and protection of vulnerable per-sons.

Annual reportSecond, Fr Small explained how Pope Francis has asked the Com-mission to present an annual re-port on the status of safeguarding children, looking at policies and procedures and how guidelines are being implemented. The pri-mary competency of the Com-mission is to offer these guide-lines and monitor implementation throughout Church entities (dio-ceses, bishops conferences, reli-gious orders…), not to deal with individual cases. Fr Small noted how Pope Francis gave them a mandate to supervise this process, to encourage and animate, and to highlight this work in their annual report. It’s about transparency and accountability.

Church welcome centresFinally, Fr. Small spoke about the Commission’s mandate now to implementing that called for in Vos Estis Lux Mundi, in particular the creation of local church cen-tres where abuse survivors can be welcomed, heard and helped. Pope Francis emphasised this aspect in his address to them, so individuals who have experienced abuse, and their family members, can find acceptance and an atten-tive hearing, and be accompanied in a process of healing and justice. — Vatican News

Addressing members of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute

of Sant’Anselmo in the Vatican on May 7, Pope Francis noted that their meeting, celebrating 60 years since the institution’s foundation, “came about as a re-sponse to the growing need of the People of God to live and partici-pate more intensely in the liturgi-cal life of the Church”. He noted that their institution's dedication to the study of the liturgy is well recognised and that experts that were trained in their classrooms promote the liturgical life of many dioceses in very different cultural contexts.

Pope Francis went on to note three dimensions that emerge clearly from the Council’s drive for the renewal of liturgical life. These are: active and fruitful par-ticipation in the liturgy; ecclesial communion animated by the cel-ebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments of the Church; and the impetus to the evangelising mis-sion from the liturgical life that involves all the baptised.

Active participation in liturgical life

Speaking, firstly, of the formation to live and promote active par-

ticipation in liturgical life, Pope Francis noted that it is an aspect that should encourage the mem-bers of the institution to “foster, as the Council wished, this fun-damental dimension of Christian life”. He explained that here, the key is “to educate people to en-ter into the spirit of the liturgy” and that in order to do this, “it is necessary to be imbued with this spirit….to feel its mystery, with an ever-new wonder”. The litur-gy is not something you possess, continued the Pope, but rather, it is learned and celebrated, through active participation “to the extent that one enters into its spirit”. It is neither a question of rites, but rather, the mystery of Christ, who once and for all revealed and ful-filled the sacred, the sacrifice and the priesthood: Worship in spirit and in truth. “Only in this way can participation translate into a greater sense of the Church, which makes us live evangelically in every time and in every circum-stance”, said the Pope.

Growing in ecclesial communion

Speaking then of the second point, the institution's dedication to li-turgical study on the part of both

professors and students, “also makes you grow in ecclesial com-munion”, noted the Pope. He ex-plained that giving glory to God in the liturgy finds its counterpart “in love of neighbour, in the commit-ment to live as brothers and sis-ters in everyday situations, in the community in which we find our-selves, with its merits and limita-tions”. It is the path to true sancti-fication, he added. Therefore, the formation of the People of God is a fundamental task for living a fully ecclesial liturgical life.

Each celebration ends with mission

The Pope then turned to the third and final aspect, that every liturgi-cal celebration always ends with mission. “What we live and cel-ebrate leads us to go out to meet others, to meet the world around us, to meet the joys and needs of so many who perhaps live without knowing the gift of God”, said the Pope. Genuine liturgical life, especially the Eucharist, always impels us to charity, “which is above all openness and attention to others”, he added, stressing that this dimension, then, “opens us to dialogue, to encounter, to the ecu-menical spirit, to welcome”.

Faith in the mysteryPope Francis then reiterated the importance of liturgical life and the study of it leading to “greater ecclesial unity”, stressing that “the liturgy must be studied while re-maining faithful to this mystery”.

Bringing his discourse to a close, the Pope noted that “the challenges of our world and of the

present moment are very strong” and that for this reason, “the Church needs today, as always, to live by the liturgy”. Finally, the Pope thanked the members of the institution for the service they render to the Church and encour-aged them to “carry it forward in the joy of the Spirit”. — Vatican News

Child protection a top priority for Church

Liturgy must lead to awe, unity, mission

Pope Francis talks with Abbot Gregory Polan, leader of the confederation of Benedictine monasteries, during an audience with students and professors of Rome’s Pontifical Institute of Liturgy at St. Anselm, at the Vatican May 7, 2022. (Vatican Media)

Pope Francis meets with members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. (Vatican Media)

At a press briefing following their meeting with Pope Francis on May 6, leadership and members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors met with journalists to illustrate how the Pope has made child protection a top priority for the Church.

Pontifical Commission given mandate to implement child protection in Church

By Bertha Hanson

Easter is over and I believe fellow Catho-lics rejoiced in being able to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord as a congre-

gation in the physical splendour of a church. Then came news that a member of a Catholic order has being convicted for sexual assault. It is soul-crushing.

Not that we had not expected that the case would come up, since news of the charge had already been publicised. What was a niggling issue then was why the charges were proffered only in 2020 – so long after the assault, which happened in 2009.

Never mind that we have been told not to speculate, you cannot stop questions from sur-facing, even as answers are being sought. Like why the two young victims, now adults, took so long to speak up. I doubt that any Catho-lic here believed that there was some kind of “cover-up’’ by the Catholic hierarchy, as is re-portedly the case elsewhere. It is simply not a “done’’ thing here.

So, when the conviction, which amounted to five years, was accompanied with some statements of fact, I lapped it up. It shed some light, but not enough. I also respectfully pe-rused Archbishop William Goh’s pastoral let-ter asking for forgiveness.

What was new in his letter was the setting up of a Professional Standards Office in 2011 to review church protocols to provide a safe environment to protect the vulnerable. The of-fice, headed by a non-cleric, comprises senior counsels of law, former district judges, senior lawyers, legally trained persons, psycholo-gists and people in senior management.

I checked its website, which said that the PSO has a second duty of handling any com-plaints of sexual abuse or harassment of a child or young person. It sets out the procedures to “ensure a just treatment of all complaints in a transparent and juridical manner, restoring communion for all parties concerned”. “Al-legations may be against priests, religious, employees or volunteers in the Archdiocese.”

The archbishop’s letter, while long on for-giveness and prayer, was short on the facts.

In particular, he was silent over why no ac-tion was taken against the man, even though he had ‘fessed up in 2009. Instead, the man, now in his 60s, was quickly shipped off to the United States for “therapy’’, and given other missionary appointments. To Catholics and non-Catholics alike, this smacked of a cover-up.

I wonder how many Catholics tried to tell others that the incidents pre-dated Archbishop William’s appointment in 2013, which could well be the reason for his peculiar response. I wonder also how many of us tried to look for the reporting lines of Catholic orders to find out how autonomously or independently they functioned.

We could also have noted that the “victim’’, a minor, didn’t want to make a police report, hence there was none. But this isn’t good enough. In fact, there were two victims – and it was not said if both minors were averse to having a beloved teacher-mentor, who had betrayed them, being brought to justice. And I can’t help but wonder, given they were mi-nors, if the approval should have been sought from their parents instead.

Another reason was offered recently. Re-sponding to queries from TODAY on why the man had not been reported to the police before leaving town, the archbishop’s office said that religious orders are “separately constituted and are governed by their own judicial pro-ceedings and administration of law”.

(To clarify, the perpetrator is not a priest but a member of a Catholic order of communities where people take vows, such as poverty and chastity, to lead consecrated lives or do reli-gious activities.)

This is so, but it also gives rise to the percep-tion that there is some washing of hands when it comes to the responsibility of the archbish-op. To the public at large, there is no question of parallel lines of reporting. The buck stops with the archbishop.

I have to add quickly that while TODAY reported the line as a response on why no po-lice report was lodged, Singapore Times (ST), which had the same line, said that there was no response.

What was also interesting was that the po-lice issued a police advisory to a 64-year-old described as “a sector leader of a Catholic or-der’’ for not reporting the case when it came to his attention in 2009. It seemed to indicate that only one person was in the know and everybody else in authority, whether the then-bishop or the then school board, had been kept in the dark. Is that so?

So how was the man finally arrested? We’re told that the man returned in 2020 to renew his visa but was prevented from leaving because of COVID-19 restrictions. His history was then somehow, inexplicably, brought before the board of the school where he had served.

So, who made the police report? The arch-

bishop was told in October that year. The chairman of the school’s board lodged a police report on May 10 last year, following an inter-nal inquiry. Police arrested the man on Jan 18.’

Another part said that the archbishop was told of the matter only in October. He then followed protocol by reporting it to the Dicas-try for Consecrated Life in Rome. This body deals with religious orders. “He also asked for the matter to be referred to the police here,’’ his office said.

Both TODAY and ST said that the spokes-man could not answer some questions because they would lead to identifying the perpetrator and thence, the victims. It would be a breach of the court gag order.

I am hoping against hope that the two vic-tims would agree to naming the man, given the long passage of time. It is the best way for the Church to lay down the facts and bare all. A full accounting would help preserve the in-tegrity of the Catholic Church, rather than the dribs and drabs now served out to the public. Even if the gag order still stands, can we at least have some answers to convince the pub-lic that the house is clean and in order?

First, the decision-making process in 2009 needs to be better explained, unless we are to assume that there were no protocols until the Professional Standards Office was established in 2011. Allied to this question is whether this new-ish office has jurisdiction over all reli-gious orders – or whether there will be yet an-other instance of parallel reporting lines.

Second, more people must have been in-volved in the 2009 case. Who are they and what roles did they play? Did Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia know? Was Rome told then? What did the Dicastery for Con-secrated Life say about this? Who made the decision to send the man away? On whose dime?

In 2018, when the Catholic Church was feeling the heat from news that some 300 priests had sexually abused over a thousand minors in Pennsylvania over the last 70 years, Archbishop William sent out a pastoral letter:

“The scandals abroad are a wake-up call for us, as the Catholic Church in Singa-pore has not been spared allegations of child abuse. Over the years, a handful of cases have been brought to our at-tention. These were handed over to the Professional Standards Office (PSO) of the Archdiocese for investigation. Thus far, all the cases have been judged to be inconclusive by the PSO, and confirmed

by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome.

“As Archbishop, I want to assure you that, to the best of my knowledge, there has been no cover-up in our archdio-cese.” The latest case, however, has cast doubts on

the contents of the letter.Third, could we take a leaf out of the uni-

versities’ books and issue a yearly report on infractions and investigations? Honesty is a virtue, even if its uncleanliness can cause em-barrassment. Hypocrisy should never cover the face of the Church.

In his most recent letter, the archbishop said: “The cold reality of having an incident like this on our shores is sobering. Many good Church leaders have sacrificed much to re-main faithful to the Gospel and have worked hard to instil the values of our Catholic faith in the young. A cloud of suspicion now hangs over those who have given themselves to live a life of service.’’

Therein lies the rub. It is not only the guilty who suffer, but the innocent as well.

I would join the archbishop in asking for forgiveness if I knew exactly what I was confessing to. For the depravity of a church leader? For the foot dragging by the Church? For the complicity of others who knew but did nothing to bring the man to justice?

The archbishop said: “Like many of you, I am dismayed, shocked, and ashamed. Some of us are confused as to what actually took place and how this could have happened.’’

Your Grace, I am sure you actually know more. Can we have a fuller confession, if only to restore the prestige and reputation of the Church? We will do penance and we will pray for you and with you. God bless you and God bless us all. — berthahenson.com

l Bertha Henson is a Singaporean blogger and a published author. She worked at the Singapore Press Holdings for 26 years where she was primarily an editor for the English newspaper, The Straits Times. Currently she runs a personal blog called Bertha Harian. She is also a lecturer in the Communications and New Media (CNM) department at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and an Associate Fellow at the university's Tem-busu College.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of HERALD.

A fuller confession needed

HERALD May 15, 2022commENtary10

Archbishop William Goh, pic, of Singa-pore apologised on May 5 on behalf of

the Church, soon after a senior Catholic figure in the local Church was jailed for five years, for sex crimes against two teenage boys.

“Like many of you, I am dismayed, shocked, and ashamed. Some of us are con-fused as to what actually took place and how this could have happened,” Archbishop Goh said in a statement issued on the archdiocesan website (https://www.catholic.sg/pastoral-letter-on-seeking-gods-merciful-healing-and-vigilance-in-protecting-our-young/).

The Singaporean man, in his 60s, cannot be named because of court gag orders, which also prohibits publishing his designation, appointment and the school which he was linked to.

The convict is a member of a Catholic Re-ligious’ order, had taken a vow of celibacy and has never married, local media reported,

quoting court documents.He pleaded guilty to one charge of carnal

intercourse against the order of nature and one charge of committing an indecent act with a young person.

“It is with great sadness and regret that we have learned of the case involving a member of our Church, who has committed sexual crimes against young people,” the archbish-op’s statement said.

As the leader of the Catholic community in Singapore, he apologised and offered “heart-felt sympathy to those who have suffered on account of this crime.”

“The cold reality of having an incident like this on our shores is sobering,” he said, add-ing that many “good church leaders have sac-rificed much to remain faithful to the Gospel and have worked hard to instil the values of our Catholic faith in the young.”

“A cloud of suspicion now hangs over

those who have given themselves to live a life of service,” said the archbishop.

The archdiocese established the Profes-sional Standards Office (PSO) in 2011 to protect the interests of our vulnerable, and regularly reviews its protocols to provide a safe environment, said the statement.

The office is made up of professionals comprising senior lawyers, former district judges, psychologists and people in senior management, some of them non-Catholics. It operates independently of the hierarchy, in line with the laws of the Church and of Sin-gapore.

A layperson was appointed to head the of-fice in 2018 in order to enhance the impartial-ity of the office, Archbishop Goh said.

He also sought prayers for the community, to strengthen the mission in the city-state “so that we emerge a safer, credible, stronger and more compassionate Church.”

The Catholic leader wanted the incident to be “a wake-up call for us all to take our spir-itual life seriously and be awakened from a complacent faith. Conversion is required of the entire Church.”

“We must remember that the sins of one will affect others as well. It is a timely re-minder for us to renew our faith, find heal-ing in forgiveness and in God’s mercy, and seek reconciliation with our wounded broth-ers and sisters by taking the call to conver-sion of life seriously,” the archbishop said. — ucanews.com

Singapore archbishop apologises after Catholic jailed for sex abuse

HERALD May 15, 2022 focus 11

By Mark Joseph Williams

On December 9, 1968, I pulled a stool next to my father in his room at Mount

Sinai Hospital in New York City, the same hospital where so many coronavirus patients succumbed during the COVID-19 pandemic. A nuclear veteran, aged 40, with acute leukaemia, he lay in a full protective bubble. I had to touch him through a rubber glove that extended from a plastic sleeve. He turned his head and fought a smile. His hollowed eyes reached mine. As a Catholic and an altar boy, I felt like the women at the foot of the cross. Two hours later my fa-ther died. I had just turned 12, and I

didn’t realise that my darkest days were ahead.

His death left our family shat-tered. My mother fell prey to her alcoholism, and I fell prey to her escalating physical and mental abuse. Father figures in the com-munity sought me out. Some were well-intentioned, others were not. In my 13th year, I was raped by a male teacher. Molestation by a Ro-man Catholic priest would follow.

This set me on a journey into de-pression and addiction for which I can barely find the words. As Wil-liam Styron, author of Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness, wrote: “Depression is a disorder of mood, so mysteriously painful and elusive in the way it becomes

known to the self — to the mediat-ing intellect — as to verge close to being beyond description.”

Although I cannot describe it, I have worked to overcome it. For me, the Church, that was an arena of my abuse, also offered the faith that became my lifeline back to health. It has taken decades. But I do find comfort in reflecting upon my recovery and realising that healing is possible for the abused in our midst, in and out of the pews.

In the second half of my life, my interior captivity has indeed been freed. For me, forgiveness calms the storm. “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Mt 21:22). Time takes time.

I am an abuse survivorFor a synodal Church

communion l participation l mission I believe the synod will teach the Church how to listen

(Picxclicx/Jill Levenhagen)

Now the Church I love is in the midst of the Synod on

Synodality, a time of communion, participation and mission. As a survivor both hurt and healed by the Church, the timing of this dis-cussion feels very right. The dis-cussions happening now are an in-vitation to walk the common road with one another for a true synodal Church, one fostering the tangible closeness of accompaniment, the kind that heals all wounds.

In his homily on October 10, 2021, for the opening of the syn-odal path, Pope Francis called us to accompany one another in faith, to encounter, listen, and discern like our Lord did numerous times before, during and after Calvary. What can this possibly mean for victims shamed by the Church? How can accompaniment heal the wounds, soften raw pangs of de-spair, calm the winds of anxiety and depression within, bring light

from the canyons of darkness?As a clerical abuse survivor

who was broken for decades by clericalism, rendered silent by cover-up, and like countless oth-ers weathered spiritual bank-ruptcy, I believe this is indeed a historic moment for our Church. And I believe that Pope Francis, a man from the southern hemi-sphere who knows what it means to go out to the margins, is onto something.

The abused, arguably more than any group in our Church, have suffered horrific pain because we were wronged by the Church that we trusted and in which we grew up. The Church we knew caused us so much hurt, unfathomable pain of mind, body and spirit. There was simply no way to fit into our skin. Trauma was the devil. Yet, through the One Bread and One Body we believe in, this same institution can actually be the solution for healing.

Invitation to walk the common road

Just before Christmastime, I had three unique experiences of the

synodal path that spoke to how crucial listening is, particularly for victims and survivors within our Church. During the meeting of the United States Conference of Cath-olic Bishops in Baltimore, I — as co-founder of the Global Collabo-rative, a survivor-led organisation that promotes accountability, jus-tice and healing for children, mi-nors and vulnerable adults sexu-ally abused and exploited across every nation — along with sev-eral survivors and other faith lead-ers from various traditions, were joined by some prelates attending the session for a sunrise walk.

We literally walked arm in arm. As Cardinal Sean O’Malley, arch-bishop of Boston and president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, remarked in prayer, “We are here because the world is very broken from abuse; we’re here to heal.”

Jerry McGlone, SJ, himself a survivor, and senior research fellow at the Berkley Centre at Georgetown University, said as we walked: “We can do something in a public way that provides hope for those who will never tell their story, because in remembering, hopefully, we will never repeat what has happened.... The body of Christ is pretty injured these days…what do we do with the body of Christ?... We hold it, care for it. We don’t forget.”

Dr Jennifer Wortham, a research associate and leader of the Hu-man Flourishing Program at Har-vard University, spoke of how her brothers were abused by their family priest saying, “My broth-ers experienced many challenges throughout their lives as a result of their childhood abuse, but I be-lieve the most difficult challenge they experienced was the loss of their faith.”

Cardinal Tobin, who also walked

that morning alongside his brother New Jersey bishops, offered a prayer: “God, help us for the cour-age to name the evil among us, to eradicate it, with your power.”

Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, the ex-ecutive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, prayed: “My friends, it is not enough to survive. We want to succeed.”

Following the sunrise walk I gave two talks, one in person to a group of first-year seminar-ians at the same seminary where Theodore McCarrick had strayed a generation ago, and the second, virtually, to a gathering of Jesuit provincials from around the globe meeting in Rome.

What struck me about both op-portunities to share my witness and provide testimony as a clerical abuse survivor was that both ses-sions, astonishingly, were similar in this respect: Many of the partici-pants had never had the experience of listening to a survivor. For the

largely young seminary students, only one raised their hand when I asked who had spoken to a vic-tim/survivor before. And, among the priests leading their respective territories on behalf of the Society of Jesus, nearly a quarter of them had never spoken with, or listened to, someone sexually abused by a priest or anyone else.

My witness is simply this: Lis-ten to the voices of victims and survivors. By listening we all walk together; along the route of life, we must encourage forgiveness but not exoneration. As the recent-ly deceased Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa wrote in The Book of Forgiving, “Forgiveness feels as if a weight has been lifted off you and you are free to let go of the past and move forward in your life. It may not be found in a single act of grace or a simple string of words, but rather, in a process of truth and reconciliation.”

As we journey — abused, bro-

ken, rich or poor, religious or lay, young and old — we will more fully realise the fruits of a synodal Church if we listen to one another. I believe we can look to Simon of Cyrene, who carried our Lord’s cross, for inspiration. If we are bold and humble enough to help carry one another’s crosses as true servants of Christ, our Redeemer, then we will not only survive, we will succeed, regardless of any wound we bear in our shared pil-grimage.

The synodal road offers a mar-vellous roadmap, a call to action in our Church, if there ever was one in our lifetime. The Church has caused great pain. But the Church is also where we will find the greatest healing. — America

l Mark Joseph Williams, a fo-rensic social worker and manage-ment consultant, serves as special advisor to the Archdiocese of Newark.

Listening is crucial – for victims and survivors

Ibelieve that the synod — the common road — is the process

for renewal that is needed right now in the first quarter of the 21st century, nearly 70 years after the Second Vatican Council. To re-new the face of the earth and truly imagine a new Church, a better one that unabashedly encourages us to encounter, listen and do the real work of discernment, I be-lieve that those of us who have been abused can serve as models of honesty during this synodal process. Just imagine those broth-ers and sisters in and out of the pews who have never told their story. What a moment in time for the Church to listen fearlessly, to walk with them.

The week after Pope Francis delivered his homily to open the synod, I sat in the Cathedral Ba-silica of the Sacred Heart in New-ark, NJ, and listened to Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, CSsR, give his own homily to open the synod in

the archdiocese, the shared jour-ney in our local church over the next two years. Cardinal Tobin offered:

The synod recognises that the People of God, those whom God has called out of darkness into God’s light by virtue of their baptism, is called to walk the same road in the right direction. A synod is not called to defend or to change anything. Rather, it convokes an assembly that dis-cerns what the Holy Spirit asks of the Church at this time, in light of the mission for which it exists: to evangelise. The synod is not a programme — certainly not sim-ply a meeting — but a process, or rather, the programme is that pro-cess of listening, praying, discern-ing, of recommending. The synod is a call to unity for all of us, in the pews, in this pulpit, in the sanctu-ary. A call that binds all of us to a communal act of obedience that is, first and foremost, listening.

Synod is process for renewal

HERALD May 15, 2022iNsPiratioNal storiEs12

By Gwen Manickam

Queen of traffic Priscilla Patrick’s thirst for the unknown has taken her to 76 out of 195 countries in the

last 25 years. She has also visited the sev-en continents of Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Australia on one Malaysian Passport (five years) – a feat the Malaysian Book of Records believes nobody else has yet achieved.

Malaysia’s pioneer Hitz FM announcer to report traffic on-air and later, the first to be on board a police helicopter on its Eye-in-the-Sky programme to monitor road traffic, was bitten by the travel bug after meeting a bunch of Western backpackers at a Full Moon Party in Thailand in 1997. “They quit their jobs temporarily and were trav-

elling across south-east Asia. It was some-thing we didn’t hear of in Malaysia, no-body here quits jobs just to travel,” said the intrigued, former Vice President of Content and Development, Impact Malaysia.

Since then, the globetrotter has crossed five oceans and slept on the Sahara Desert, visited five mountain ranges, frolicked with wild animals, been duped in a Macau scam, and survived the 2004 Tsunami.

“I am a woman who has lost everything and has nothing to lose,” Pris, as she is known to friends, told the HERALD.

“I have been stripped down, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. How do I keep going? I have no idea, probably my parents’ prayers and my men-tal strength. It’s a horrible feeling to be stripped and to start over, but I realised everything materialistic is replaceable.”

The Assunta alumnus, who was vaca-tioning in Sri Lanka when the tsunami

struck said, “It’s true that when you are about to die, you see a white light, and your life flashes before you. Being tossed around as wave after wave hit, I couldn’t hold my breath anymore. I knew I was losing con-sciousness when I suddenly felt a tap on my naked shoulder (my T-shirt had ripped off), I struggled to open my eyes, and found no-body around me. I spotted a coconut tree and clung to it, managing to keep my head above

water long enough to catch my breath be-fore the next wave hit. Miracle after miracle happened that day. My mum thinks it’s my guardian angel who tapped on my shoulder during those final seconds.”

In the aftermath, as Pris was walking around bruised, hurt, confused, and broken, a hotel employee came up to her and presented her with her locked bag pack that contained her wallet, passport, and flight ticket.

He told Pris, “My wife said Buddha, tells her this is your bag, and she made me walk

four hours to bring this to you.” Relating the story 18 years later still brought on a flood of tears. The seven-continent explorer emotion-ally exclaimed, “The bag was locked, how did his wife know it was mine, and for him to find me in that chaos …”

Pris still carries a piece of that wallet, with a picture of her favourite saint, Padre Pio. Every Dec 26, regardless of which country she’s in, Pris lights a tea candle at 9.25pm local time.

“On a good day, I am glad I am not part of

the tsunami statistics, on a bad day, I wish I was part of the statistics.

“I've realised I live life on my own terms.I often go back to that experience and draw a lot of strength from it.

“I tell God, “I don’t know what You want me to do after surviving this, I just want to help people. I don’t know who they are, so You send them to me, in my travels or my ca-reer. And boy has He sent people. I also real-ise the journey isn’t about me helping them, it’s their journey and our paths just cross.”

Miracles happen

Pris strongly believes in paying it forward. She’s raised over RM8,000 for the tsu-

nami victims in Thailand and Sri Lanka. On her travels, instinctively she’ll buy a family meal or a drink or pay for someone’s trans-port or accommodation. And she continues to see blessings unfold in her life, especially when she least expects it.

On her way to Ushuaia, before setting sail to the Antarctic, Pris, for the first time in her travels, dropped her money pouch with over RM4,500 in mixed currencies. “In the peak of winter, I was sweating. I didn’t have any cash on me, although the rest of the trip was paid up. After I pulled myself together, I said, it’s ok Jesus, I let it go. I hope the person who finds it takes the family out for a nice Christmas dinner, buys some beauti-ful presents and they have a little better time because of this money.” Long story short, a few weeks later, on her return trip, the mon-ey pouch was returned, untouched. The next day, a Malaysian friend called and asked to borrow RM4,000.

“When you surrender and put faith in it, the kapow that comes back is unbelievable. My strongest prayer is the Our Father and Hail Mary. I think of every sentence when I say the prayer and it is just so powerful. He has never, ever let me down.

“Every time I see something beautiful, I thank God for my eyes, my hands, my fin-gers, and the list goes on.

On road trips, before hitting the sack, Pris, who sleeps out in the open air, puts on a St Benedict necklace and says, “Alright St Ben, you are on the night shift.” And those are the nights she gets the most amount of sleep.

Post pandemic, Pris is afraid to see what it has done to humans. She has imposed a self-ban on travel till 2024, when she aims to start with Namibia, Africa, and, in Dec, revisit Sri Lanka for the 20th anniversary of the Tsunami. In the meantime, with her love for the outdoors and astronomy, she has opened a campsite in Marang, Tereng-ganu, called Cosmic Campers — https:// cosmicampers.com/.

The more Pris travelled, the more she real-ised she didn’t like cities and first-world

countries. “I like third world countries as peo-ple are real, geographic visuals are real and untampered, especially when you are with na-ture.”

Africa is her favourite continent, and she’s visited 10 of its 54 countries. India is the wanderluster’s preferred country. “You either love India or you hate it”. Pris has been to the Himachal Pradesh region twice and has gone from Kashmiri to Manali. In 2017, she spent two months in Kathmandu, Nepal, and worked out a trip to Bhutan. “I entered from the south-ern entry point after a 35-hour bus ride. Look-ing over my shoulder was the chaos of India and before me was the amazing and serene beauty of Bhutan.

“On my return trip, I sat next to goats and tied up chickens, endured 16-hour traffic jams ... Will I do it again? …. Yes! Because I believe when you are with the locals, you are safe. One of the mantras I’ve come up with over the

years is, ‘panic when the locals panic – if they run, you run’.

“I am not the home-roller bag-taxi-roller bag-airport-land-roller bag-hotel-swimming pool-oh! I’ve been to Paris, traveller.

“I sit with the locals in their homes, slept on their kitchen floor in Peru, and partied with res-ident triad leaders on the Copacabana beach ...”

One Sunday after Mass, Pris told her parents that her next trip was to the Antarctic. “My fa-ther was excited, but my mother (who keeps candles burning while I travel) goes, ‘Is it nec-essary?’

“To which I replied, ‘Yes ma, it’s on the map, it’s necessary’.”

A few years ago, Pris bought a world map, laminated it, and stuck it on a wall between her living room and bedroom. “When it’s time to plan my next trip ... to create excitement within myself, I walk by with my eyes closed and ran-domly point at a place on the map. If I have al-ready been there – I repeat the process until I hit a new spot and that’ll be my next destination.”

Keeping it real Sacrifices“To reach this level of freedom, there were

a lot of sacrifices, a lot of letting-goes — like having a husband and kids. There’s no way I could conquer the world lugging them around,” the Arctic wanderer quipped.

“I am also a very logical person, I don’t have two pairs of the same shoe, but I do have at least 100 black T-shirts.”

In 2018, while on a break from work, the street wise voyager fell victim to a Macau scam and lost her life’s savings.

“I have no idea how it happened”. After the initial shock and gripping fear, she pulled her-self together and made a police report. Friends from home and abroad reached out and helped her get back on her feet. “I re-joined the work-force and started saving again,” said the radio announcer.

“I also realised my passport, with stamps

from six continents, was expiring in May 2019. I knew I had to tackle the final continent — Australia”.

As usual, flamboyant cities were not on her radar. Pris opted to land in Darwin and go through the desert region of Alice Spring to Melbourne. While waiting last in line at im-migration around midnight, a female officer pulled her out and asked, “Where are you from and what brings you to Australia?” To which Pris gleefully replied, “Funny you should ask, you are my last continent. I have clocked six and my passport expires next month….”

After doing her due diligence, the officer took the passport back to her office for a few minutes. She returned it saying, “We don’t normally do this, as Australia only does elec-tronic passport stamps, but here’s a physical stamp to complete your collection.”

Pay it forward

The seven-continent explorer at the Murchison Falls National Park globe, on the banks of the Nile River in Uganda, Africa.

Live it. Love it. Own it.

Priscilla Patrick at the British Antarctic Heritage Trust Station on Goudier Island, Port Lockroy with penguins and Luigi di Savoia peak in the background. She is the first and only Malaysian to reach Port Lockroy, Antarctic in 2015.

HERALD May 15, 2022 ViEWPoiNt 13

Chasing Nouwen’s Rembrandt in St Petersburg, RussiaI first came to know about the book, The Re-

turn of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Home-coming by Henri Nouwen, in June 2001 at a seminar in church. I must have been drawn to its cover and purchased it almost immedi-ately.

The book essentially captures Nouwen’s reflections on a painting by renowned Dutch artist, Rembrandt (1606 – 1669) titled, The Return of the Prodigal Son. As the name sug-gests, the painting is Rembrandt’s interpreta-tion of the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11 – 32).

There were three parts in Nouwen’s book that grabbed my attention:

From Chapter 7: “The true centre of Rem-brandt’s painting is in the hands of the father. On them all the light is concentrated; on them the eyes of the bystanders are focused; in them mercy becomes flesh; upon them forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing come together, and through them, not only the tired son, but also the worn-out father, find their rest.”

From Chapter 8: “It all began with the hands. The two are quite different. The fa-ther’s left hand touching the son’s shoulder is strong and muscular. The fingers are spread out and cover a large part of the Prodigal Son’s shoulder and back. I can see a certain pressure, especially in the thumb. That hand seems not only to touch, but, with its strength, also to hold. Even though there is a gentleness in the way the father’s left hand touches his son, it is not without a firm grip.”

From Chapter 8: “How different is the fa-ther’s right hand! This hand does not hold or grasp. It is refined, soft, and very tender. The fingers are close to each other and they have an elegant quality. It lies gently upon the son’s shoulder. It wants to caress, to stroke, and to offer consolation and comfort. It is a mother’s hand.”

Nouwen’s reflections on Rembrandt’s

masterpiece added a new dimension to my understanding of the parable of the Prodigal Son. I made a mental note to look for the painting so that I could physically marvel at these observations that Nouwen had meticu-lously reflected on. I learnt that the painting is displayed at the State Hermitage Mu-seum in St Petersburg, Russia. In 2001, the dream seemed out of reach for me, who lived 8,670km away.

The Baltics and PolandFast forward to September 2018 when I was planning a trip to the Baltics and Poland. My flight was from Kuala Lumpur to Helsinki, after which I would travel south towards the capital cities of the Baltic nations – Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius; and onwards to Warsaw and Krakow in Poland. While researching for the trip, I discovered that there was a free entry visa for visitors who enter St Petersburg by cruise ship or ferry from Helsinki and other ports of call. That was a fantastic opportunity to organise a trip from Helsinki to St Peters-burg before flying back to Kuala Lumpur. My quest to look for Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal Son was alive.

When things don’t go according to planI arrived in St Petersburg with a carefully planned itinerary, especially since I had lim-ited time (due to visa restrictions) to explore the city that was once called Leningrad.

After getting off the overnight ferry and

checking into the hostel, I was tired, but mus-tered enough energy to walk to the Hermitage State Museum, or Hermitage, as it is popular-ly known. After purchasing an entrance tick-et, I picked up a museum guide and made my way into the building. The first thing I did was to locate where the main exhibits were, espe-cially Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodi-gal Son. After wandering from room to room, from exhibit to exhibit, fatigue began to set in. The lack of clear and sufficient signages at the Hermitage didn’t help either. Information in the museum guide started becoming fuzzy.

Soon I came to the end of the building. Thinking that Rembrandt’s masterpiece was in the next building, I exited the building that I was in. I then asked the personnel on duty where the painting was. When she said that it was in the building that I had exited, I realised that I had made a mistake. I asked whether I could re-enter the museum. She said that tick-ets are for single entry only, and that I would

have to purchase another ticket. On no! I looked at my wrist watch and realised I didn’t have time to go to the main entrance of the Hermitage to do so as the museum was about to close. I was also tired and wanted to rest.

After mulling over the mistake that I had made, I made a difficult decision to leave the Hermitage without seeing the very painting that I had travelled 8,670km to St Petersburg for. I wouldn’t have time to return the next day as I had a packed itinerary. It was a pain-ful decision but I had to learn to let go.

Let go, let GodOn the ferry back to Helsinki, I clutched Nou-wen’s book and reflected on the lessons from this trip. I may have missed an opportunity to stand in awe before Rembrandt’s master-piece, but perhaps it was God’s way of tell-ing me that it is alright to let go of things that are not meant to be, or beyond my control. Proverb 16:9 comes to mind: “The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.” Similarly, many of us chase wealth, power, relationships, health, etc. in the course of life. We pray fervently that God will grant our deepest desires, and when we don’t get what we want, we don’t let go and let God. Instead, we blame God, we mock Him and threaten to leave Him. But God is the ever-forgiving God, always waiting to embrace us with His love and mercy, just like the fa-ther who welcomes the return of his prodigal son. May we always remember the message of repentance, forgiveness and reconcilia-tion whenever we gaze at Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal Son.

l Julie Lim Seet Yin believes that a satisfied life measured by one's heart, mind and soul is better than a successful life measured by worldly yardsticks. She can be reached at: [email protected]

Smoothening rough edges

Sea glass is fragments of broken glass ob-jects which have been tumbled through the surf, made contact with the sand of

the sea bed and the unceasing waves of the sea for such long periods of time that they become opaque and smooth. I was recently introduced to sea glass collecting, and spent many quiet hours walking the beaches of Port Dickson, head down, scouring the beach for a tell-tale glint or a specific translucence that would point to a smooth, warm piece of glass to add to my little collection.

Sea glass collecting, apart from enforcing a kind of meditative calm, is a profound experi-ence of my connection to the I Am. As I mar-vel at the persistent force of nature that took a jagged, possibly dangerous shard of glass and, over time, smoothed it into a thing of tactile and visual pleasure, I also see the similarity of how God uses turbulent emotional conditions to shape us.

We are all, metaphorically, broken. At best we sail, as the hymn goes, ‘in fragile barques on tempestuous seas.’ The worst of us are flailing in rough water, holding on to nothing but hope. But just as it takes the sea years to smoothen broken edges and make them pleas-ant to the touch, so too our rough and tumble journey through life is supposed to transform us into beings of unique value and beauty. For a person like me, who is drawn to, and is hap-

piest around water, the idea of being shaped by the waves and currents is more appealing than the refiner’s fire.

Each time I immerse myself in a body of wa-ter, I relive the promise of my baptismal night, on Easter, now exactly 20 years ago. That qui-etude of spirit, the quiet conviction that I was meant to be Catholic, and had been journeying towards this faith all my life, is renewed each time I feel the benediction of pool or sea water. It is little wonder then that beaches have be-come the setting for many aha! moments.

When I was sea glass collecting, I was struck by a couple of things. Firstly, there is no best time of the day to search for sea glass. As long as a sliver of beach remains, one can walk and hope to chance upon a little bit of happiness. This has made me understand that to God, anytime is a good time. He is available to us at all times, in all seasons, in all weather. Whether it is a prayer of thanksgiving for the ability to travel and see loved ones again af-ter two long COVID-19 years, or the frantic flailing of Peter when his faith wavered and he began to sink coming across the water to Jesus, or the quiet, sleepless desperation of a dark night of the soul, God is present, listening and accessible.

Sea glass collecting can strain one’s eyes and neck. Walking hours with head down and eyes unblinking can cause tension to build, and tunnel vision to develop. Similarly, if we become too fixated on a certain want, need or way of thinking, we can block out what our other senses are trying to tell us. I once knew a woman who fixated on her childlessness. A lover of babies and children, she was a kinder-garten teacher, beloved by her little charges. She went from supplication to pleading, then

bargaining with God to give her the child she so desperately craved. As the years passed, her trust in God’s providence muddied into resent-ment. She became so fixated on what her life did not contain, that she lost sight of the many other blessings of her life.

She never conceived, but when she was bat-tling cancer, she was amazed by the visits she received from her once-toddling charges, now grown men and women. One of the women was shot in a domestic altercation, and the teacher ended up adopting her three young children.

When faced sometimes with the strain of fixating so hard on something one desires, it is prudent that we look up and around for a change in perspective. Shifting focus helps us re-centre and take stock of where we truly are in the big picture. Often, when we break the over-concentration on an issue is when new solutions manifest, or we are Spirit-led to dif-ferent answers to a dilemma.

I thought of sea glass collecting as a solitary occupation, and therefore was unprepared by how interested people were in my endeavours. One early morning, at a remote corner of the coast, I came upon an old fisherman preparing his nets for a cast. He had been observing me as I made my way up the beach, and he asked me what I was picking up. I showed him my collection, only to have him rummage in his pockets to produce a few pieces of sea glass, and hand them over to me.

It was a lesson to me about how we are nev-er as alone as we think we might be. As a spe-cies, we are designed for company and com-munication. Sometimes, when we get lost in our own heads, and over-obsess about issues we are facing, it can feel very lonely. But God,

in His wisdom and care, always sends help-mates and companions on the journey to us. Sometimes they are the people already around us, other times, these lifelines enter our lives in strange and surprising ways, bringing much needed gifts of comfort, perspective and sup-port, and in true Malaysian style, most likely sustenance in the way of food, too.

Finally, the diverse shape, colour and opac-ity of sea glass is a reflection of the beautiful variance of the family of God. One of the beauties of the Catholic Church is how there is a place for a multitude of personalities and character types. The prayerful and contempla-tive have Holy Hour and Adoration; while vo-cal supplicants have recourse to the charismat-ic groups. There are programmes for toddlers, youth, the widowed and divorced, and the el-derly. The inclusivity of the Catholic Church is not something much spoken about, but I have found much more uncondemning acceptance of a multitude of sins, trespasses and flaws of the human nature within the Catholic Church than in other religious bodies. I may not see eye to eye with every individual, but each time I feel slightly abraded by a less than Jesus-like encounter with a fellow Catholic, I tell myself that not every piece of glass one picks from the beach has reached the fullness of its potential. Some you have to commend back to the sea for further work on the rough edges. The won-derful thing about the sea of God’s love is that it is vast, and works in His time only.

l Karen-Michaela Tan is a poet, writer and editor who seeks out God’s presence in the hu-man condition and looks for ways to put the Word of God into real action. You can connect with her at: [email protected]

Word In Progress

Karen Michaela Tan

Faithfully Speaking

Julie Lim Seet Yin

The Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt van Rijn

HERALD May 15, 2022sPiritual rEflEctioN14

AMERSFOORT, Netherlands: More than 60 journalists have peti-tioned Pope Francis to make Titus

Brandsma (pic), an official patron saint of journalism.

An open letter published on May 10 said that the world “urgently requires a holy in-tercessor” like Brandsma, a Carmelite priest and journalist, “in these times of disinforma-tion and polarisation.”

Brandsma, who will be canonised as a saint in the Catholic Church on May 15, died in Dachau concentration camp in 1942 after he firmly opposed mandatory Nazi propa-ganda in Catholic newspapers.

“We, Catholic journalists, recognise in Ti-tus Brandsma, a professional peer and fellow believer of considerable standing. Someone who shared the deeper mission that should drive journalism in modern times: a search for truth and veracity, the promotion of peace and dialogue between people,” the petition says.

The appeal letter was co-written by three journalists from the Netherlands, where Brandsma was born, and a journalist from Belgium. It was co-signed by more than 60 Vatican correspondents.

“Titus Brandsma has meant a lot to the Catholic community in the Low Countries, but his journalistic works stand out among all his other activities. He was editor-in-chief of a newspaper, devoted himself to the modernisation and professionalisation of the

Catholic daily press in the Netherlands, and strove for better working conditions and the establishment of professional training for journalists,” the letter says.

“Father Brandsma did his work in the context of the rise of fascism and Nazism in Europe. In word and deed, he opposed the language of hatred and division that was becoming common at the time. In his view, what we now describe as ‘fake news’ was not to be tolerated in the Catholic press; he suc-cessfully argued for an episcopal ban on the printing of National Socialist propaganda in Catholic newspapers.”

The letter acknowledges that the Catholic Church already has a patron saint of journal-ists: St. Francis de Sales.

Pope Pius XI proclaimed the bishop of Ge-neva the patron saint of journalists and writ-ers in 1923. The 16th-century saint used his gifts as a writer to pen the devotional classic, “Introduction to the Devout Life,” as well as letters, sermons, and documents addressing controversies and Calvinism.

The letter argues that the French saint was “undoubtedly a holy man of faith and of great merit, but he was not a journalist in the modern sense of the word.”

“Titus Brandsma was. And as we said, he gave his life for it. In our view, this makes him particularly suitable for this patronage,” it adds.

Brandsma served as a spiritual adviser to the staff of more than 30 Catholic newspa-

pers in the Netherlands. He also worked on a biography of the Carmelite St. Teresa of Avila, composed meditations on the Stations of the Cross, and wrote letters.

Throughout the 1930s, Brandsma watched aghast as Adolf Hitler strengthened his grip on neighbouring Germany. The friar sharply criticised Nazi policies in newspaper articles and lectures. “The Nazi movement is a black lie,” he said. “It is pagan.”

When Dutch newspapers were told to ac-cept advertisements and press releases from their Nazi overlords, the archbishop of Utre-cht asked Brandsma to tell the country’s Catholic editors that they should refuse the order.

Brandsma managed to visit 14 editors be-fore he was arrested on Jan 19, 1942, at a monastery in Boxmeer. As the Gestapo pre-pared to take him away, he knelt before his superior and received his blessing.

An officer, Captain Paul Hardegen, later asked Brandsma to express in writing why his countrymen scorned the Dutch Nazi party.

“The Dutch,” the friar wrote, “have made great sacrifices out of love for God and pos-sess an abiding faith in God whenever they have had to prove adherence to their religion … If it is necessary, we, the Dutch people, will give our lives for our religion.”

Brandsma and 10 other candidates, includ-ing Charles de Foucauld and four women, will be declared saints in the first canonisa-

tion Mass at the Vatican in more than two and a half years.

Ahead of his canonisation, the Embassy of Netherlands to the Holy See has organised a symposium on Brandsma and freedom of the press.

Ambassador Caroline Weijers told Vatican News that one of the themes she expected to be addressed at the symposium was that “the world needs courageous journalists like Titus Brandsma to make a difference for humanity and human rights for all.” — By Courtney Mares, CNA

Titus Brandsma: A new patron saint of journalism?

Where can all of us believers come together, beyond the divisions created by history, dogma, de-

nomination and religion? Where is there a place all people of sincere heart can find common ground and worship together?

That place is found in the ecumenical and inter-religious pursuit of spirituality, and our theology schools and seminaries need to create this place within their aca-demic vision and structures.

What is spirituality as an academic dis-cipline within our theology schools and seminaries? It has actually been around a long time, though under different names. In Roman Catholic circles, formerly it was handled piecemeal as moral theology, lit-urgy, ascetical theology, and as mystical and devotional literature. In Protestant and Evangelical circles (where, until recently, mystical and devotional literature were distrusted), there were courses on disciple-ship, worship, and Christian ethics.

So what is spirituality as an area of study? At the risk of a vast over-simplifi-cation, let me propose an analogy as a way of understanding how spirituality relates to theology and dogma. Spirituality is related to theology and dogma, akin to how an actual game of sports is related to the rule book of that sport.

For example, for the game of baseball there is a rulebook, one initially codified and then periodically amended through the many years the game has been played. To play the game today, one has to stay within those rules. There is no game outside those

rules. However, while these rules critically dictate the lines within which the game has to be played, they are not the game itself. They merely dictate how it is to be played and ensure that it is played in a fair manner.

In essence, that is the critical role of the-ology and dogma. They are the rule book for how we need to discern faith and re-ligious practice as we live out our disci-pleship, if we are legitimately to call our-selves Christian. But, while they make the rules, spirituality is the actual game; it’s how in actual practice we live out our faith and discipleship.

Thus, spirituality takes in morality and ethics, worship, ascetical theology, mysti-cal theology, devotional theology, and eve-rything else we do in living out our disci-pleship. Theology makes the rules, while spirituality tries to instil the motivation, the fire, the hope, and the practical guid-ance for the game itself, lived discipleship.

I offer this little apologia for spirituality as an academic discipline in view of af-firming that spirituality is that place where believers can come together in a common heart beyond the long-standing divisions

created by history, dogma, ecclesiology, and different notions of faith. Spirituality is a place where we can meet in a commun-ion of faith that takes us (at least in that place and moment) beyond our different histories, our different denominations, our different religions, and our different no-tions of faith.

I know this is true because I have seen and am seeing it, first-hand. Oblate School of Theology, where I teach, has an Insti-tute of Contemporary Spirituality in which I see Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Evangelicals of every persuasion, studying together, searching together, and praying together in a way that denominational dif-ferences simply don’t enter into.

Everyone, irrespective of denomination, is searching for the same things: What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus today? How does one genuinely pray? How do we sustain faith in a secular world that so eas-ily swallows us whole? How can we pass our faith on to our own children? How can we be both prophet and healer in our bit-terly divided world? What is a faith-based response to injustice? How does someone age and die well? What insights and grace can we draw from the deep wells of Chris-tian mysticism and hagiography to help guide our lives?

Everyone has the same questions, and everyone is searching at the same places.

Denominationalism recedes when spir-ituality takes over.

Moreover, this doesn’t just pertain to be-ing together beyond the differences of de-

nominations among Christians; the same holds true vis-a-vis our separation from other world religions. The questions we are grappling with as Christians are the same questions that Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, Taoist, and other believers are grappling with, and they are looking to us for help, even as we are looking to them for help.

In spirituality, Christians learn from Sufi Islamic mystics, even as Islamic believers delve into Mariology and Christian mysti-cism. Buddhist, Hindu, and Taoist believ-ers pick up the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, even as Christians learn from various Buddhist and Hindu methods of meditation.

Jesus assured us that in God’s house there are many rooms. Spirituality is one of those rooms. Spirituality is the room where all who are caught-up in a common need, common search, and common hope, can bracket for a time their denomina-tional and religious differences and search together.

Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t take away our differences; but it gives us a place where we can be in a community of life and faith with each other, beyond those differences. l Oblate Fr Ron Rolheiser, theolo-

gian, teacher, and award-winning au-thor, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX. He writes a weekly column that is carried in over 90 newspapers around the world. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.

Spirituality — A place all believers can come together

Fr Ron Rolheiser

HERALD May 15, 2022 cHildrEN 15

Then I, JOHN, saw a new HEAVEN and a new EARTH. The former heaven and the former earth HAD passed away, and the sea was no MORE. I also saw the holy

city, a new JERUSALEM, coming DOWN out of heaven from God, PREPARED as a BRIDE ADORNED for her HUSBAND. I heard a LOUD VOICE from the throne SAYING “BEHOLD, God’s DWELLING is with the HUMAN RACE. He will dwell with THEM and they will be His PEOPLE and GOD HIMSELF will ALWAYS be with them as THEIR God. He will WIPE EVERY TEAR from their EYES, and there SHALL be no more DEATH or MOURNING, WAILING or pain, for the old ORDER has passed away.”

The One who sat on the THRONE said, “Behold, I MAKE all things new.” Rev. 21: 1-5

Giver of all wisdom and greatest of all teachers,Look upon our teachers with love

Grant them the resolve to nurture our eager mindsand to never give up on us who fall behind.

Bless their hearts for they rejoicewhen we succeed and encourage us when we fail

And bless them with gentle patiencefor the path of learning is never easy

Kindle a spirit and passion in themit is the flame that ignites the love of learning in us

Help them see the potential in each studentTheir belief in us means much more than the grade we make

Instil in them a commitment to keep on learningIt shows us to not fear new knowledge and experiences

Inspire them to touch the futureThey influence how big a dream we dream for ourselves

Bless our teachers who came beforeFor their work endures to this day

Let the light of your example shine upon all teachersTo build up with their words

To love with their mindsTo share with their hearts. Amen

This tells about what will happen after

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Colour this pictureDear Boys and Girls,

In the Old Testament, before Jesus came, there were many commandments. They told the people how they should live and what they should and shouldn't do. Jesus obeyed the commandments, but He gave His followers a new one, something different from any of the others:

LOVE ONE ANOTHER. The love Jesus was talking about is

called charity. It means doing what is best for a person. Here are some ways to love others: Think kindly of people. Even when you know something bad about someone, try to think nice thoughts about them. Always speak kindly about people. Saying bad things about others can hurt them. Always act kindly towards others. Treat everyone in the way you want to be treated. Show that you are a follower of Jesus by how you love others! This week we also remember our

educators. Teaching is a vocation, a calling from God, not just a ‘job’.

Wish your parents and teachers ... “Happy Teachers Day!”

Aunty [email protected]

Try to find all the words in CAPITALS in today’s second reading.The leftover letters fit into the blanks at the end

VATICAN: As the Church marks the Marian month of May and prepares for the upcom-ing World Meeting of Families in late June, Pope Francis is urging Catholics to pray for young people and their response to God’s call to holiness.

The Pope released his monthly prayer in-tention on May 3 in a video prepared by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

He held up the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a model for Christian fam-ily life.

When I think of a model with whom young people can identify, our Mother, Mary, always comes to mind: her cour-age, the way she knew how to listen, and her dedication to service.

Building a better worldPope Francis lauded Mary’s courageous and

determined “yes” to the Lord, and called on young Catholics to imitate her readiness to improve the world.

He said young people must learn to take risks, in order to “build something new, a better world.”

“Don’t forget that in order to follow Mary, you need to discern and discover what Jesus wants from you, not what you might think you can do,” said the Pope.

Wisdom of the agesGrandparents, he added, can pro-vide an excel-lent source of wisdom as we seek to dis-cern God’s

will for our lives.“In those words of grandparents, you will

find a wisdom that will take you beyond the issues of the moment,” he said.

Discernment, faith, servicePope Francis wrapped up his video message by inviting everyone to pray for young peo-

ple as they make their way through life.Let us pray, brothers and sis-

ters, that all young people, called to live life to the

fullest, may discover in Mary’s life the

way to listen, the depth of discern-ment, the cour-age of faith, and dedication to service.

BUTTERWORTH: Approxi-mately 40 youths, aged 16 to 26, gathered on Sunday,

May 8 for the parish level Youth Day Celebration at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Vir-gin Mary (NVBM). The event was geared towards introducing and garnering a response to the Fifth Penang Diocesan Youth Day (PDYD 5) from Oct 21-24.

It began with an introduction by Nicholas Ooi, the NBVM Youth Leader and the open-ing prayer by Fr Dominic Santhiyagu. This was followed by a multilingual Praise and Worship session by Brenda and team.

After a short break where participants were served with light refreshments, they had a sharing session with Jason Tioh, who has served six years in the Youth Office at the Penang Diocesan Youth Network (PDYN).

Jason’s sharing touched on how Pope John Paul II was the pioneer of World Youth Day, which first began in Brazil. He emphasised that PDYD was the local equivalent of World Youth Day, initiated by PDYN.

He further elaborated that PDYD 5, with the theme, “Mary arose and went with haste, Luke: 1:39” is all about empowering young people, being united and walking with faith.

Jason reminded everyone that the PDYD Cross, which consists of five parts repre-senting five states, namely Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Kelantan, is not just a tangible, visible reminder of the event but something much deeper. He illustrated how Jesus came into our midst, and pointed out that Mother Mary was an icon and a good example to follow.

Then, a game session was conducted by Lawrence Soon, NBVM Bahasa Youth Leader, to help the participants meet and make new friends.

The event concluded with the Gospel of John by Fr Dom, who shared his experience

of attending one of the World Youth Day celebrations.

Overall, Fr Dom was happy that this gath-ering took place, since the pandemic had prevented many such gatherings for the past two years. He hopes to see young people coming together for the Deanery Level of Youth Day Celebration on May 14, before PDYD 5.

Similarly, Nicholas was content that many youths turned up for the event, saying it was a good start with simple activities in the wake of the upcoming event. He further described that he was hoping for the best as a lot of work goes into organising and preparing for the Deanery Celebration and around 100 youths have registered for it. — nbvmscic.org

MAY 15, 2022

GEARING TOWARDSPDYD 5

Vocation to serviceA press release accompanying The Pope Video said the prayer intention for May was produced in collaboration with the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life.

May’s prayer intention marks the first in a three-part series, with June’s to fo-cus on the family and July’s on the el-derly.

Fr Federic Fornos, SJ, the Interna-tional Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, noted that Pope Francis has always insisted on the relationship between generations, especially between grandparents and grandchildren.

He said the Pope is calling especially for young people to engage in service to others, as a result of mature discernment of God’s call to holiness. — By Devin Watkins, Vatican News

Pope’s May prayer intention: ‘For faith-filled young people’

HERALD May 15, 2022 youtH 17

MIRI: The Miri Diocese Youth Commission (MiDYC) recently held a praise and worship music concert at St Dominic and the Rosary Church, Taman Tunku.

The Easter Concert 2022 began at 7.00pm with an opening prayer and welcoming speech by MiDYC spiritual advisor, Fr Henry Saleh. This was followed by a praise and worship

session, as well as singing and dance perfor-mances.

The audience was then treated to a drama presentation staged by the youths.

“This event is aimed at gathering the young from all parish youth ministries after more than two years of online activities, at the same time sharing the Easter joy of the risen Lord,”

said spokesperson, Nomiday Dajie. A total of 300 people, mostly from parish

youth ministries of various churches in Miri, including St Dominic Youth Taman Tunku, Chinese Youth, Legion of Mary Youth, FIAT, Choice, Chris Teens, Light Youth Tudan, St Faustina Youth Senadin, Holy Spirit Youth Permyjaya, St John Bosco Youth and MiDYC,

participated in the free concert. Fr Sylvester Ngau also presented a musi-

cal skit and led the final Allah Bangkit anthem with the youth. Also present to show his sup-port was Bishop Richard Ng.

Fr Henry and several other devoted faith-ful blessed the participants before the curtain came down for the evening. — Borneo Post

INANAM: In conjunction with St Cath-erine’s parish day and Archbishop John Wong’s pastoral visit to the parish, 99 can-didates were conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on April 24.

Through the anointing with sacred chrism, the candidates are “enriched with the spe-cial strength of the Holy Spirit”, and more than ever, “obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed” (CCC 1285).

The rites were performed with strict ad-herence to the prevailing SOP. The arch-bishop was assisted by parish priest, Fr Da-vid Sham.

The candidates had successfully com-

pleted the two-year preparation despite the pandemic.

Archbishop Wong also spent 40 minutes

in fruitful dialogue with members of the Pastoral Council before joining the fel-lowship and witnessing the thanksgiving

concert presented by the confirmands and the youths of St Catherine Church. — By Michael Guntili, Catholic Sabah

LAHAD DATU: The Sandakan Diocese Youth Apostolate Coordinator (SDYA), Sr Noemi Mejia, FSIC visited St Dominic par-ish on April 24 the parish’s youth apostolic team. Also present was the former Youth Coordinator, Anna Teresa Peter Amandus.

St Dominic Parish is Sr Noemi’s second stopover in the Sandakan Diocese after Holy Trinity Parish, Tawau.

The Youth Apostolate of St Dominic, who is also the spiritual advisor, Sr Jadine Guiterrez, FSIC, welcomed them on their arrival to St Augustine Convent.

The session began with praise and wor-ship, followed by the opening prayer led by Nofie Tokan.

To liven up the atmosphere, they contin-ued with an ‘ice breaking’ session by Mar-tinus Simon which included some indoor games.

After that, Sr Noemi introduced herself and her role in the Youth Apostolate Team. Then, each member of the St Dominic par-ish youth apostolate team took turns to in-troduce themselves.

Sr Noemi also told them, “God calls you

to become His follower and to do His mis-sion, not because you are educated or you have a great personality, you are called be-cause you are not perfect.”

This introduction and dialogue session ended with a closing prayer and a group photo, followed by lunch. — By Jaymar (SOCCOM)

Ninety-nine receive Confirmation on parish day

Dialoguing with the parish youth apostolate team

St Dominic Parish youth with FSIC Srs Noemi Mejia and Jadine Guiterrez.

Archbishop John Wong with Fr David Sham and 99 confirmands of St Catherine Inanam.

Easter concert attracts 300 youth in Miri

I t’s the Month of MaryLet’s read Bible passages on

the Virgin Mary.Some suggestions are: the

Annunciation, the Birth of Jesus,

the Presentation in the Temple, and Mary at the Foot of the Cross.

Source: Catholic Link

HERALD May 15, 2022iN rEmEmbraNcE18

memoriamFor enquiries, please contact:Email: [email protected]: 03-2026 8291

Thank you for the wonderful years that we have shared. Thank you for the wonderful life you have provided us.

Deeply missed and loved forever by your: Loving wife: Shelley Sin Kessler,

Son: Mark, Daughters: Deborah, Melinda, Grandchildren: Henry, Benjamin, Tara,

Conor, Ethan, Zoie and Ella

10th Anniversary In Loving Memory of Robert N. Kessler

Called home to be with Our Lord Jesus Christ on 17th May 2012

First AnniversaryIn Ever Loving Memory Of

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour

prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

~1 Thessalonians 1:3~

We will always miss you in every moment of our lives. Your presence continues to surround us. You still live in our hearts and mind of your loving family that you

left so suddenly without no words behind.Dearly missed by,

Your beloved sisters, brother, nephews and nieces.

Joan Raman(26th December 1962 – 17th May 2021)

VATICAN: Pope Francis will pre-side over the first canonisations in more than two years this weekend.

Ten people will be officially rec-ognised as saints by the Catholic Church on May 15. Among them are some relatively well known figures, like Charles de Foucauld, Titus Brandsma, and Devasahay-am Pillai.

Less well known are the four Catholic female leaders who will be canonised alongside them. Each of the women founded re-ligious orders which have grown worldwide and made a lasting im-pact on the Church.

Here are the stories of these four holy women, who all happen to be named for the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Marie RivierAs the French Revolut ion forced con-vents and monasteries across France to close and priests and nuns were martyred under the Reign of Terror, this 28-year-old Frenchwoman founded a religious order in 1796.

Marie Rivier founded the Con-gregation of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, dedicated to the education of young girls in the faith. The congregation received official approval in 1801 and ex-panded across France.

Rivier struggled for much of her childhood from a debilitating disability that caused her joints to swell and her limbs to shrink. She could hardly stand with the help of crutches, according to the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Her health problems also hindered her ability to enter reli-gious life, but Rivier persevered and helped to educate unemployed women in her parish before the founding of her congregation.

Within a few decades of Rivi-er’s death in 1838, the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary spread to Canada and the United States. To-day, the Sisters are present on five continents.

Maria Francesca of Jesus (Anna Maria Rubatto) Mother Maria Francesca of Jesus was a 19th-century m i s s i o n a r y foundress who crossed the At-lantic Ocean seven times by boat to establish an order of Capuchin sisters in Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil.

The Italian religious sister, orig-inally from the province of Turin, was born Anna Maria Rubatto, in 1844. She lost her mother at the age of four and her father when she was 19 years old.

She worked as a servant and cultivated a deep spirituality, vis-iting a church daily to pray. But she did not discover her vocation until she was 40 years old.

One day, when she was leav-ing a church, she heard the cries of a construction worker who had been injured by a stone that fell from the scaffolding onto his head. Maria helped to wash and treat his wounds. She discovered that the building he had been working on was a convent. The Capuchin friar who was oversee-ing its construction invited her to join as a founding member, and then as the first superior of the Institute of the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of Loano.

Within just seven years, Moth-er Maria found herself trave-ling to South America to found new houses as her religious or-der grew. Today, the Sisters are known as the Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto and are pre-sent in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, and other countries across South America, Europe, and Africa.

Maria Domenica MantovaniMaria Domen-ica Mantovani served as the first general superior of the Institute of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family, which she co-founded to serve the poor, the orphaned, and

the sick.At the age of 24, she made a

vow of virginity on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in front of a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in her hometown of Castelletto di Brenzone in northern Italy.

She co-founded the Little Sis-ters of the Holy Family in 1892, at the age of 29, along with Bless-ed Giuseppe Nascimbeni, a priest who had been her spiritual guide since she was 15 years old.

Serving as the order’s superior general for more than 40 years, Mantovani wrote the constitu-tions of the order and oversaw the opening of numerous convents.

By the time she died in 1934, the Little Sisters of the Holy Family had grown to have 1,200 sisters present in 150 convents in Italy and abroad.

Maria of Jesus Santocanale Mother Ma-ria of Jesus founded the Capuchin Sis-ters of Immac-ulate Mary of Lourdes in Sicily in 1910.

Born in Palermo in 1852, Carolina Santo-canale felt a desire to consecrate herself to God from an early age, despite her father’s wishes. Un-der the spiritual guidance of Fr Mauro Venuti, she discerned to devote her life to works of charity for the poor rather than entering the cloister.

At the age of 32, she began to experience significant health problems. Severe pain in her legs led her to be bedridden for more than a year. After her illness, she embraced an even more radical Franciscan spirituality.

After making simple vows at the age of 39, she spent most of her free moments, day or night, in front of the tabernacle. She oversaw the establishment of an orphanage and a nursery school, and nurtured many vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. — By Courtney Mares, CNA

Who are the four women being canonised this weekend?

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HERALD May 15, 2022 WEdNEsdays WitH PoPE fraNcis 19

The Bible narrative — with the symbolic language of the time in which it was written — tells us something shock-

ing. God was so embittered by the widespread wickedness of humans which had become a normal lifestyle, that He thought He had made a mistake in creating them and decided to eliminate them. A radical solution. It might even have had a paradoxical twist of mercy. No more humans, no more history, no more judgment, no more condemnation. And many predestined victims of corruption, violence, in-justice would be spared forever.

Does it not happen to us too sometimes — overwhelmed by the sense of powerlessness against evil or demoralised by the “prophets of doom” — that we think it would be better if we had not been born? Should we give credit to some recent theories which denounce the human species as an evolutionary detriment to life on our planet? All negative?

Indeed, we are under pressure, exposed to opposing demands that confuse us. On the one hand, we have the optimism of an eternal youth, kindled by the extraordinary progress of technology, that depicts a future filled with machines that are more efficient and more in-telligent than us, that will cure our ills and de-vise for us the best solutions to avoid dying: the world of robots. On the other hand, our imagination appears increasingly concentrated on the representation of a final catastrophe that will extinguish us. What will happen with an eventual nuclear war? The “day after” this — if there will still be days and human beings — will we have to start again from scratch? De-stroying everything to start again from scratch. I do not want to trivialise the idea of progress, naturally. But it seems that the symbol of the flood is gaining ground in our subconscious. After all, the current pandemic puts a heavy weight on our carefree representation of what matters, in life and its destiny.

In the Bible story, when it comes to sav-ing life on earth from corruption and from the flood, God entrusts the task to the fidelity of the eldest of all, the “righteous” Noah. Will old age

save the world, I wonder? In what sense? And how will old age save the world? And what is the prospect? Life after death or just survival until the flood?

A word of Jesus that evokes “the days of Noah” helps us to explore more deeply the meaning of the Bible passage we have heard. Speaking about the end times, Jesus says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Lk 17:26-27). Indeed, eating and drinking, tak-ing a wife or husband, are very normal things and do not seem to be examples of corruption. Where is the corruption there? In reality, Jesus stresses the fact that when human beings limit themselves to enjoying life, they lose even the perception of corruption, which mortifies dignity and poisons meaning. When the per-ception of corruption is lost, and corruption becomes something normal: everything has its price, everything! Opinions, acts of justice, are bought and sold. This is common in the world of business, in the world of many professions. And even corruption is experienced in a care-free way, as if it were part of the normality of human well-being. When you go to do some-thing, and it is slow, how often do you hear: “Yes, but if you give me a tip, I will speed it up”. Very often. “Give me something and I will take it further”. We are well aware of this, all of us. The world of corruption seems to be part of human being’s normality, and this is bad. This morning I spoke with a man who told me about this problem in his homeland. The goods of life are consumed and enjoyed without concern for the spiritual quality of life, without care for the habitat of the common home. Everything is ex-ploited, without concern for the mortification and dejection that many suffer, and not even for the evil that poisons the community. As long as normal life can be filled with “well-being”, we do not want to think about what makes it empty of justice and love. “But I am fine! Why should I think about problems, about wars,

about human suffering, all that poverty, all that evil? No, I am fine. I don’t care about others”. This is the subconscious thought that leads us towards living in a state of corruption.

Can corruption become normal, I wonder? Brothers and sisters, unfortunately, yes. We can breathe the air of corruption just as we breathe oxygen. “But it is normal; if you want me to do this faster, what will you give me?” It is normal! It is normal, but it is a bad thing, it is not good! What paves the way for this? One thing: the carefreeness that turns only to self-care: this is the gateway to the corruption that sinks the lives of all of us. Corruption benefits greatly from this no-good carefreeness. When everything is going well for someone, and oth-ers do not matter to him or her: this thought-lessness weakens our defences, it dulls our consciences and it turns us — even involuntar-ily — into accomplices. Because corruption is not solitary: a person always has accomplices. And corruption always spreads, it spreads.

Old age is in a good position to grasp the deception of this normalisation of a life that is obsessed with enjoyment and empty of an inner reality: life without thought, without sac-rifice, without beauty, without truth, without justice, without love: this is all corruption. The special sensibility of us old people, of old age, for the attention, thoughts and affections that make us human, should once again become the vocation of many. And it will be a choice of the elderly’s love for the new generations. We will be the ones to sound the alarm, the alert: “Be aware, this is corruption, it will bring you nothing”. There is a great need today for the wisdom of the elderly to counteract corruption. The new generations expect from us, the elder-ly, a word that is prophecy, that opens the doors to new perspectives outside that carefree world of corruption, of the habit of corrupt things. God’s blessing chooses old age, for this char-ism that is so human and humanising. What is the meaning of my old age? Each one of us el-derly people can ask ourselves this. The mean-ing is this: being a prophet against corruption and saying to others: “Stop, I have taken this

path and it does not lead you anywhere! Now I will tell you about my experience”. We, the elderly, should be prophets against corruption, just as Noah was the prophet against the cor-ruption of his time, because he was the only one in whom God trusted. I ask you all — and I also ask myself: is my heart open to being a prophet against today’s corruption? It is a bad thing, when the elderly do not mature and be-come old people with the same corrupt habits of the young. Let us think of the Bible story of the judges of Susanna: they are the example of a corrupt old age. And we, with this type of old age, would not be capable of being prophets for the young generations.

Noah is the example of this generative old age: it is not corrupt, it is generative. Noah does not preach, he does not complain, he does not recriminate, but rather, he takes care of the future of the generation that is in danger. We seniors must take care of the young, of children who are in danger. He builds the ark of accept-ance and lets people and animals enter it. In his care for life, in all its forms, Noah obeys God’s command, repeating the tender and generous gesture of creation which, in reality, is the very thought that inspires the command of God: a new blessing, a new creation (cf. Gen 8:15-9, 17). Noah’s vocation remains ever relevant. The holy patriarch must once again intercede for us. And we, women and men of a certain age — not to say old, as some will be offended — let us not forget that we have the possibil-ity of wisdom, of saying to others: “Look, this path of corruption leads nowhere”. We must be like the good wine that, once aged, can give a good message, not a bad one.

I appeal today to all the people who are of a certain age, not to say old. Be careful: you have the responsibility to denounce the human corruption in which we live and in which this way of living of relativism proceeds, com-pletely relative, as if everything were legiti-mate. Let us move forward. The world needs strong young people who move forward, and wise elders. Let us ask the Lord for the grace of wisdom.

Margaret was born of farming parents in Laviano, Tuscany.

Her mother died when Margaret was seven; life with her stepmoth-er was so difficult that Margaret moved out. For nine years she lived with Arsenio, though they were not married, and she bore him a son. In those years, she had doubts about her situation. Somewhat like St Au-gustine, she prayed for purity — but not just yet.

One day, she was waiting for Ar-senio and was instead met by his dog. The animal led Margaret into the forest where she found Arsenio murdered. This crime shocked Mar-garet into a life of penance. She and her son returned to Laviano, where she was not well received by her stepmother. They then went to Cor-tona, where her son eventually be-came a friar.

In 1277, three years after her con-version, Margaret became a Francis-can tertiary. Under the direction of

her confessor, who sometimes had to order her to moderate her self-denial, she pursued a life of prayer and penance at Cortona. There she established a hospital and founded a congregation of tertiary sisters. The poor and humble Margaret was, like Francis, devoted to the Eucharist and to the passion of Jesus. These devotions fuelled her great charity and drew sinners to her for advice and inspiration. She was canonised in 1728. — Franciscan Media

St Margaret of Cortona Most saints suffer great per-

sonal opposition, even per-secution. Bernardine, by contrast, seems more like a human dynamo who simply took on the needs of the world.

He was the greatest preacher of his time, journeying across Italy, calming strife-torn cities, attacking the paganism he found rampant, attracting crowds of 30,000, fol-lowing Saint Francis of Assisi’s ad-monition to preach about “vice and virtue, punishment and glory.”

Compared with St Paul by the Pope, Bernardine had a keen intui-tion of the needs of the time, along with solid holiness and boundless energy and joy. He accomplished all this despite having a very weak and hoarse voice, miraculously im-proved later because of his devotion to Mary.

When he was 20, the plague was at its height in his hometown of Siena. Bernardine offered to run the hospital and, with the help of other young men, nursed patients

there for four months. He escaped the plague, but was so exhausted that a fever confined him for several months. He spent another year car-ing for a beloved aunt whose par-ents had died when he was a child, and at her death began to fast and pray to know God’s will for him.

At 22, he entered the Franciscan Order and was ordained two years later. For almost a dozen years, he lived in solitude and prayer, but his gifts ultimately caused him to be sent to preach. He always travelled on foot, sometimes speaking for hours in one place, then doing the same in another town.

Especially known for his devo-tion to the Holy Name of Jesus, Bernardine devised a symbol — IHS, the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek — in Gothic letters on a blazing sun. This was to displace the superstitious symbols of the day, as well as the insignia of factions: for example, Guelphs and Ghibellines. The devotion spread, and the symbol began to appear in

churches, homes and public build-ings. Opposition arose from those who thought it a dangerous innova-tion. Three attempts were made to have the Pope take action against him, but Bernardine’s holiness, or-thodoxy, and intelligence were evi-dence of his faithfulness.

General of the Friars of the Strict Observance, a branch of the Fran-ciscan Order, Bernardine strongly emphasised scholarship and further study of theology and canon law. When he started there were 300 friars in the community; when he died there were 4,000. He returned to preaching the last two years of his life, dying while travelling. — Franciscan Media

St Bernardine of Siena

Feast day: May 16

Feast day: May 20

Saints of the week

A Catechesis on Old Age :

Be prophets against corruption

Catholic News Service to cease domestic operations at year’s end

Cardinal Zen’s arrest will test effectiveness of Vatican-Beijing agreement

Jordan’s royal couple receives Path to Peace Award

WASHINGTON: The US Conference of Catholic Bishops announced to staff on May 4 a dramatic reorganisation of its commu-nications department, including the closure of the Washington and New York offices of Catholic News Service.

In meetings with newsroom staff, James Rogers, the chief communications officer of the conference, said that the Washington of-fice would be closed at year’s end.

The Rome bureau of Catholic News Ser-vice will remain open and continue to report on Vatican and related international events.

A statement released by the bishops’ pub-lic affairs office said: “Over the next few months, the USCCB Department of Com-munications will undertake a significant realignment to better utilise the resources

entrusted to the Conference by the faithful in a manner that fits the communications envi-ronment today.

“Sadly, this will impact a number of staff. We are grateful for the time and dedication of the committed team of communicators at the Conference who serve the Church; job transitions can be difficult, and as this is a personnel matter, further detail will not be discussed at this time.”

The statement continued: “Catholic News Service offices in New York and Washing-ton will be closed at the end of the year, as will the USCCB Publishing Office. These changes, although painful, will allow the re-maining functions — including the Catholic News Service Rome Bureau and the Office of Public Affairs — a more sustainable founda-

tion upon which to do their work.”Effective Jan 1, 2023, Catholic News Ser-

vice will cease to charge clients for its cover-age. It will make its Rome coverage avail-able to all US dioceses at no charge, starting in 2023.

Greg Erlandson, director and editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service, said he was “profoundly saddened by this decision.”

“For more than a century, Catholic News Service has served the local, national and in-ternational Catholic press. I am proud of the professionalism of our staff of editors, jour-nalists and photographers and of all that they have accomplished.”

Staff reductions will also be taking place in public affairs, creative services and mar-keting and episcopal resources.

A total of 21 employees will be laid off.Catholic News Service was founded in

1920. In a meeting with Rome bureau staff in 2021, Pope Francis told them that “over these past hundred years, Catholic News Service has provided an invaluable contribu-tion to the English-speaking world through its coverage of the Church’s mission of pro-claiming the Gospel and witnessing to the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.”

The news service currently serves a ma-jority of US dioceses as well as national and international media operations.

USCCB Publishing, which holds the rights to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the US Adult Catechism and many other books, will cease its publishing operations at the end of 2022. — CNS

VATICAN: The arrests of Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun and four pro-democracy activists on charges of alleged “collusion with foreign forc-es” pose a direct challenge to the Holy See and the effectiveness of its recent controversial ef-forts to work more closely with Beijing.

The Holy See issued a brief statement on Wednesday afternoon saying it had “learned with concern the news of Cardinal Zen’s arrest and is following the situation with great atten-tion.”

The 90-year-old bishop emeritus of Hong Kong was released from custody late Wednes-day but on police bail and so, still faces pending charges.

The cardinal has been an outspoken critic of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s autocratic rule

and his arrest comes just three and a half years after the Holy See signed a secret and controver-sial provisional agreement with Beijing aimed at legitimising the appointment of bishops.

The agreement, which the cardinal decried as a “betrayal” of the underground Church loyal to Rome, was renewed in late 2020. The latest developments will test the effectiveness of those accords and whether they have, in fact, offered the Holy See any true bargaining power. The Vatican has always argued that patience is nec-essary before these agreements bear fruit and it will be of interest to see how they respond as the cardinal’s case proceeds. His arrest is also a significant test for his current successor, Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan, who took charge of the diocese last December.

The cardinal was arrested with four others for running a now-disbanded fund that helped defend those apprehended for pro-democracy protests.

The “612 Humanitarian Relief Fund,” set up in 2019, raised more than $32 million (RM140.6 million) for those affected, but Hong Kong police shut it down last year under the territory’s national security law that came into force in 2020.

Cardinal Zen and the US government have criticised the law for eroding civil and politi-cal freedoms that Beijing had promised Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” ar-rangement when the territory was returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997. — By Edward Pentin, NCRegister

NEW YORK: Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Queen Rania were honoured with the annual Path to Peace Award from the foun-dation that supports the work of the Vati-can Mission to the United Nations (UN).

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Vatican ambassador to the UN, presented the award during the 29th annual gala of the Path to Peace Foundation on May 9.

The foundation supports the work of the Vatican’s Permanent Observer Mission to the UN. Archbishop Caccia is its presi-dent.

The archbishop commended the royal couple for their years long effort to pro-mote peace and interfaith cooperation in the Middle East.

The archbishop pointed to King Abdul-lah’s commitment to religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue, particularly his work to safeguard Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jordan, as a primary reason for presenting the award.

He also cited the king’s initiation in 2004 of the “Amman Message,” which stated that terrorism has no place in Is-lam, and his 2010 proposal for an annual World Interfaith Harmony Week, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly.

The week is observed Feb 1-7 annually.

Queen Rania, Archbishop Caccia said, has long shown “concern for the ques-tions of education, connectivity and cross-cultural dialogue, as well as sustainability, the environment and migration,” which “places young people at the heart of solu-tions and is imbued with a sense of hope.”

In accepting the award, King Abdullah

said he did so on behalf of “Jordanians, men and women, young people and elders, Muslims and Christians alike.”

“Our journey on the path to peace must travel through Jerusalem,” the king said. He noted that the city also is home to many Arab Christians who are part of the oldest Christian community in the world.

King Abdullah stressed that it is vital for the international community to protect their presence in Jerusalem.

“Jerusalem is key to the future of peace and stability that we all seek” and “should be an anchor for peace and coexistence, not for fear and violence,” he said, calling for an end to violence and suffering.

He called on the international communi-ty to work toward a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land through a two-state solu-tion that would lead to “the establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security.”

King Abdullah reiterated the need for mutual respect, cooperation and shared humanity in shaping a better world. Fur-ther, he said, the world’s most difficult challenges “will not be solved by material goods, nor by working in silos.”

“They will be met by drawing on our faith in God, our common humanity, and our will to jointly defeat poverty and de-spair, end occupation and injustice, help refugees everywhere return home, ready to rebuild shattered communities, and renew the hope that young people everywhere so desperately need,” the king said. — CNS

For faith-filled young peopleWe pray for all young people, called to live life to the fullest; may they see in Mary’s life the way to listen,

the depth of discernment, the courage that faith generates, and the dedication to service.

Download the Click To Pray updates now.

May 15, 2022

King Abdullah and Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with Archbishop Gabriele Caccia. (NCR photo/ Joe Vericker via Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations)

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun